toujours un lionheart
by HippogriffRider77
Summary: In 1977, Marlene McKinnon and Sirius Black had a daughter. Sirius was never told of his daughter's existence. In 1981, Marlene McKinnon was killed, and her baby girl was sent to live with her godmother. In 1988, that daughter started at Hogwarts School. In 1991, Harry Potter went to Hogwarts and met that daughter. In the years that followed, they fought together in a vicious war.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, guys! So once again I do have another story for you-and I will update everything, along with this very soon this time, I swear on Sirius and that is legit for me. But anyway, so I've been working on this idea for awhile and finally decided to get on with it and just write it. As always, reviews and the like are appreciated!**

 ** _Disclaimer: I claim no ownership to anything in the Harry Potter universe. The only things I claim to own are the character of Cassiopeia and her story._**

A loud commotion echoed up from somewhere far below, seeming to shake the foundation of the entire building as it did so. From somewhere amidst the fourth floor, a dusty old mirror began to shake on the wall it was so precariously hung from, and the old dresser immediately underneath began shaking immensely, rattling about against the dusty floor as it did so. From where she had been sitting in the middle of an old bed-that, although it didn't look necessarily comfortable or clean by any means, was actually quite the opposite-skimming aimlessly through one of the few textbooks she had already received, Cassiopeia looked up from the pages at the commotion. She had grown fairly accustomed to loud and random noises all over the years, all thanks to her years at Hogwarts, but somehow it seemed to be different occurring anywhere around the Leaky Cauldron where she had been staying.

Closing the book assigned for the first alchemy class Hogwarts would be seeing in nearly a century, Cassiopeia pushed off of her borrowed bed and slipped on her shoes before pulling the creaky door to her room for the time being open slightly and peeking into the hallway. Hearing nothing, but intrigued all the same, Cas glanced down the hall both ways before stepping into the hallway, pulling the door shut as she did so. Taking a few steps down the hallway in the direction of the staircase that led to the bar, whispers from the room that neighbored hers directly stopped her in her tracks. Though the door was barely cracked, she could still make out the conversation that was being held on the other side, particularly the fact that Mary Cattermole, her godmother, seemed to be in great distress over something.

"Mary, don't you think that if that noise was the work of Sirius Black arriving in Diagon Alley that there would be hundreds of dementors swarming the streets? That the Aurors would have locked down the Leaky Cauldron and sanctioned to tell everyone here that the most wanted wizard in Great Britain had been captured?" She could hear Mary's husband, Reginald, saying to her in a hushed voice, clearly trying to ease whatever panic Mary seemed to be in.

"He could have been coming for her, Reg. Harry Potter isn't the only young wizard he'd gain to finding while he's on the loose. If he somehow found out-"

"He wouldn't have. How would he have had any way of finding out anything about her at all? She's safe here, Mary. Nothing is going to happen to Cassi. Sirius Black is not here."

From the outside of the door, Cassiopeia's eyebrows drew together in both confusion and curiosity. Not once in her sixteen years had she ever heard the name Sirius Black. But, she did know, from the brief conversation she was overhearing alone, that whoever he was had to be someone that she did not want to know. Not if her godmother, the woman who had always taken care of her, seemed absolutely terrified of him. Especially not if he would be any threat to Harry.

Choosing not to allow either Mary or Reginald to know that she had overheard them, Cas continued down the hallway, making her way down the four flights of stairs that led to the bottom floor of the Leaky Cauldron. The Cattermoles had arrived three days prior, ensuring that they would have enough time to gather all of Cas' school things for her sixth year before the first of September, when she would be returning to Hogwarts. It wasn't until she had very nearly reached the bottom of the last flight of stairs that Cas began to pick out voices from somewhere below. She could only assume it was somewhere near the bar, somewhere obscured from view where she was still standing on the stairs.

"Really very sorry, Tom," a voice Cas recognized from very brief encounters over the years traveled up to her where she had frozen with her hand on the railing, four stairs from the bottom. "Molly's absolutely horrified, we hadn't expected the boys to bring...well, whatever it was with them."

"Boys will be boys, Arthur, boys will be boys." The familiar voice of Tom, the barkeep and owner of the Leaky Cauldron, replied. "What's a bit of a bang around here now and then? Surely they didn't mean any harm."

A sigh traveled up the stairs towards her, and next she heard a reply from the next man. "Yes, I had imagined you to say as much. Still, Molly asked I bring our apologizes for them."

From down below, Tom spoke up yet again, but Cas had no longer taken to paying attention. Her mind was in other places, the wheels of her brain turning as she did so. She knew perfectly well of who was down below, and who he was speaking of; Cassiopeia was very familiar with Arthur and Molly Weasley. If they had arrived in London, it could only mean one thing: the Weasley family had returned from their trip abroad to Egypt. And, if they had returned, then that had to mean that-

"I've heard it's rude to eavesdrop." A voice sounded from directly behind her ear then, causing her to jump nearly a foot into the air. "Haven't you, Fred?"

"Mum must have said it once or twice-"

"-Or fifty-"

"-Hundred-"

"-A day-"

"-A minute-"

"-All summer-"

"But when have any of us ever been known for following any sort of rules?" Cas spoke up then, raising an eyebrow and incapable of smothering the grin that spread across her entire face as she turned around. The joy of seeing the twins again had elated her, tearing any memory of the conversation she'd heard upstairs from her mind for the time being. "Boys."

Cassiopeia and the Weasley twins had been as thick as thieves ever since the boys' first year at Hogwarts. They were called for the Sorting, one after the other, both immediately sent to Gryffindor table before the hat even sat upon their heads, pulling Cas' attention immediately from that alone. Despite the fact that Cassi was a year ahead of them, a beautiful friendship was formed that night, one that involved hundreds upon hundreds of pranks and rebellious behavior, much to the dismay of their respecting guardians and the Head of Gryffindor House.

"Oh good, George, look at that, she remembers us." Fred lilted, mocking her with a grin nearly as wide as hers spreading across his face. "He was worried you'd spend all summer snogging Diggory and forget all about us." He continued, clearly mocking George but receiving no response short of a typical response.

"He lies, of course." George said, rolling his eyes towards his twin but grinning towards the darker of the three as he spoke. "What I really spent all summer doing was worrying that you'd be so tragically bored stuck with that bugger that we'd have to cut the trip short just to come save you from the misery."

"My heroes." Cas replied in a sarcastic tone that was no short of typical for her, laughter in her voice even as she spoke. "Was that your grand entrance earlier that your dad's setting straight for you?" She asked, nodding down in the direction of the stairs they had to finish getting down still.

Looking towards each other with identical, proud grins, the twins then looked back towards Cassiopeia. "Saw it, did you?" Fred asked.

"Sadly, no." Cassiopeia admitted, looking upon the disappointed looks that fell onto the twins faces with amusement as she spoke. "I heard it, though. All the way up by four stories-got me curious enough to see it that I came all the way down. What was it?"

"Classified information, that is, McKinnon." Fred replied with a grin that was soon matched by his brother. Seeing the protest that was very clearly about to erupt from their friend, he held up a hand and continued to explain. "You said you didn't see it. And that gives us a chance to make it even better for the next time we set it off. The time you do see it."

"And when will that be?" She asked, raising both eyebrows as she looked between the both of them.

"You'll see." George spoke then, sending a wink in her direction before walking past her to get down the stairs. "Oi, Dad!" He called out as he reached the bottom, Fred and Cas following behind him. "Look who's here!"

Arthur Weasley, who had acquired a newspaper and a spot at a table in the back corner of the pub, looked up as he was called, a look of fear flickering in his eyes briefly before his view settled onto Cassiopeia. "Oh, Cassi, hello." He said, setting the paper down on the table in front of him as the three approached. "What a delight to see you, as always. Reg and Mary are here as well, I presume?"

"Yes, sir." Cas said, flashing a smile towards the Weasley father. "They're still upstairs, but I'm sure they'll be down sooner or later."

"Fantastic, fantastic…" Arthur muttered, and though the twins and their attention had clearly gone elsewhere, Cas wasn't oblivious to the evident stress that seemed to be taking Mr. Weasley over again as he glanced down at the paper in front of him. Following the direction his gaze seemed to take ever so subtly, Cas could see the front page quite clearly, along with the headline: MASS MURDERER STILL MISSING FROM AZKABAN. Underneath the caption lay a photo of a man, shaggy and disheveled, with hollowed looking eyes and a familiarity that Cas couldn't quite place. Drawing her eyebrows together in confusion, Cas looked up from the paper towards the Weasley father once more. "Sir?" She asked, watching as he glanced up from the table towards her again. "May I borrow that for a bit?" She nodded towards the paper that sat in front of him. Blinking, Arthur seemed to remember that the paper was still in front of him.

"Oh-Oh, yes, of course. Do your folks not get the Prophet here?" Arthur held the paper out towards her, and she took it, the photo on the front page seeming to stare straight through her entire being as she folded it and tucked it underneath her arm; even without looking at it, she seemed able to feel the gaze.

"I'm not sure if it's in yet today, sir." Cassiopeia told him, "I'll be sure the boys get this back to you if I don't happen to run into you again." She promised with another smile in his direction. It seemed as if he hadn't heard her at all, lost in his own private world, as she walked away. She hadn't been downstairs more than a couple of minutes, but already she was headed back for the stairs, towards her bedroom. The paper stayed tucked in her arm. Maybe if she didn't look the picture dead in the eye, the horrid feeling she got from looking at it would fade before she had to face it again.

"Why'd you want Dad's paper?" Fred's voice travelled from right behind her yet again as she climbed higher and higher, towards the fourth floor. Cas didn't answer, and the twins shared a look behind her, one lacking the usual joking grin that passed between them.

Once she had reached her room, the twins behind her, Cas glanced towards Mary's door to be sure it was sealed before opening her own and entering, allowing Fred and George in as well.

"Okay." George said, leaning against the door as it shut. "Now are you going to tell us why you wanted the ruddy Prophet?"

Moving to sit on the bed, Cass moved the textbook she'd been so curiously looking through earlier and pulled the paper out from her arm, unfolding it before setting it down onto the bed in front of her. There, again, the photo on the paper glared back at her, reaching her in a way she could not really explain.

"This man," She said, her voice much lower than she had anticipated as she spoke, pointing at the photo moving on the paper beneath her. "This man, who is he?" She asked. The thought of reading the entirety of the article had not once crossed her mind since she had laid eyes on the photo. All common thought seemed to have disappeared from her altogether.

The twins shared a look again, this time from opposite sides of the room. It was starting to seem to them as if Cassiopeia may have gone mad over the summer holidays.

"Cas." Fred said in a voice that was much more sober than was typical. "That's Sirius Black. The bloke who broke free of Azkaban a few weeks back."

Cassiopeia's head whipped up so quickly that both twins took a step back in shock. "Sirius Black?" She repeated, her voice sounding hollow and unfamiliar in her own ears.

"Yeah." George answered, looking towards his brother before back towards their friend. "Why?"

"I heard Mary and Reg talking about Sirius Black earlier...they think he's escaped to come after Harry." Cas said in a very quiet voice, looking towards her door in a paranoid sense, as if expecting her guardians to burst in at any minute and tell her she had heard it all wrong-she wanted that to be the case.

"That can't be possible, Cassi." George said with a shake of his head, moving to sit on the bed, on the other side of the paper. "Nobody in their right mind would go near Harry. Not when Dumbledore's looking after him."

"But there's more," She said, nearly cutting George off as he spoke. "I could've sworn that Mary thinks that…"

"What?" Fred spoke up, sitting next to his brother.

Looking back down at the newspaper in front of her, down into the black hollow eyes that seemed to be staring straight back at her, through her, Cassiopeia spoke again. This time, in a voice she herself barely heard. "He may be coming for me too."


	2. Chapter 2

The sky outside had transitioned from its soft hue of morning into something much brighter as the day continued and the sun moved, glaring straight down onto the city of London. Cassiopeia sat in the center of her mattress in the Leaky Cauldron, poring once again over the article that sat glaring up at her. The morning had come and begun to seep into the mid-afternoon, and Cas had not nothing but stare at the photo of Sirius Black which seemed to be staring back up at her in return since she had been given the paper that morning.

Not much time had managed to pass after Cass had managed to catch the twins up on the brief conversation she had overheard before they left her to herself to keep their mother at ease by letting her see them, with the assurance that they would find her again later. Being left alone for the time being had allowed Cass to attempt to think things through, or to at the very least try to begin understanding what possible connection she and Harry may have had to Sirius Black.

After the twins had left her on her own, the door shut firmly behind them, Cassiopeia had risen from the bed and crossed the small space that made up her bedroom and unlatched the cage that her tawny owl, Mandra, had been mostly confined to during the few days that had passed since arriving in London. Reaching for the jar containing owl pellets that she had stored on top the dresser, near the cage, Cass stuck a few into the bottom of the cage before turning to search for spare parchment and the quill she had used just last night. Finally finding what she was searching for, she scratched out a short note:

 _Ced,_

 _Something strange is happening, I can't figure it out. I know that we'll be seeing each other tomorrow at Kings Cross, but I'm honestly not sure I'll make it that long without going mad. When did you say that you'd be getting to the station, again? Mary and Reg always say we'll be there later than we ever are, so with my luck, chances are I'll be there by nine instead of quarter til eleven-as always. Either way, I just hope you'll be able to help me make sense of everything._

 _-Oh, and I miss you quite a lot, as well. Can't wait to see you.  
All my love,  
_

 _Cassi_

Finishing the note, Cass moved back towards her owl who, from six years of experience, was quite prepared to stick her leg out to take the letter. "Take that straight to Cedric. Badger him until he takes the time to send you back with a response, if you have to. We'll still be here once you return, and if we aren't, I'll be on the way to Hogwarts." She murmured to the owl, giving her a quick pet as she clicked in understanding before emerging from her cage and flying through the nearby window, opened just enough to get through.

With a sigh, Cass turned back towards the bed and quickly sank into it yet again and looked back down at the paper, with its front page still staring up at her. But she didn't read it; instead, she simply stared down at it, into the hollow, black eyes of Sirius Black that seemed to stare back into and through her. Truthfully, Cass didn't think she could make it through another reading, and she didn't really need to read it again, anyways. She already knew exactly what it said.

 _ **MASS MURDERER STILL MISSING FROM AZKABAN**_

 _Mass murderer Sirius Black, convicted and responsible for thirteen counts of murder including Peter Pettigrew and twelve Muggles, is still missing from infamous wizarding prison Azkaban. Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge and the Head of the Auror Department, Alastor (or as he's more well known, 'Mad-Eye') Moody have no further information at this time, furthermore leaving the wizarding world with the same knowledge we've had for the past several weeks: that Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban marks the first successful escape from the infamous wizarding prison in history._

 _Azkaban prison guards and the Ministry alike grow more and more agitated as days go on, and the Ministry continues to ask anyone with information about the whereabouts of Sirius Black to contact the Auror Department immediately._

There was something about the whole thing that bothered her more than she could really understand, causing a heavy weight to settle deep within her stomach the more she thought about it. The longer that Cass sat in bed staring at the post, the more questions there seemed to be forming inside of her head. _Who was Sirius Black? How had he escaped from Azkaban? Why had he killed so many people?_ and then, the question that may have been the most curious to her, _Why did Mary think he was after her and Harry?_

And then, there was something about the photograph staring out from the paper at her… Despite the dark, hollow eyes of Sirius Black, eyes that seemed on paper to be so empty, Cassiopeia couldn't shake the feeling that the way he stared outwards, the way he continued to shake his head and flip the shaggy black hair hanging in his face backwards to reveal a scowl, that he may not be quite as guilty as the Prophet was claiming.

 _Don't be ridiculous._ She chided herself silently, crumpling the newspaper into a ball and tossing it as far as she could across the room. _He was sent to prison for a reason. He's a murderer, and he is dangerous, get the possibility of anything else out of your head._

Suddenly the room seemed to feel much stuffier than it had in any of the time that had passed since Cassiopeia and her godparents' arrival in Diagon Alley. She began to feel very uncomfortable, remaining inside, and she pushed off the mattress and, after sliding her shoes back onto her feet, exited the room and began to make her way towards the staircase.

"Cassi?" A voice called quietly from somewhere behind her. Stopping in mid stride, Cassiopeia turned around and could see her godmother standing outside of her room, a look of weariness on her face.

Mary Cattermole was the kind of woman whom Cassi assumed must have been quite beautiful when she was younger, if her appearance as she knew her was any sort of indication. She had dark auburn hair that was nearly always pulled back in some way, though now it hung in loose curls around her shoulders, and her eyes were very light, so much that most days it was nearly impossible to tell what color they really were. As for her stature, well; despite the fact that Mary was relatively slim and tall, Cass had managed to outgrow her by the age of fourteen..

"Where are you headed?" Mary asked as she folded her arms across herself and began to ran her hands across her upper arms as if she was cold.

Cass opened her mouth to respond, faltering as she did so. It only then hit her that she had no idea where she was going. All she knew for sure was that sitting in her bedroom, staring at an article about a man she had never met who may or may not really be a threat both to her and to Harry, was starting to make her feel as if she was suffocating. She needed a chance to get away from that photograph of that haunted man, away from that article that left only more questions with her.

"I hadn't decided yet," she admitted with a slight shrug. "Out into the alley, probably. I started feeling ill and thought fresh air might help." The words slid out before she had a chance to censor them. She had come to know Mary well enough over the years she'd spent with her to know that any mention of feeling less than excellent was cause for alarm.

This time was no different. The reaction to Cassi's words was nearly instantaneous on her godmother. Mary's eyes widened slightly in alarm, and she took a step towards the younger of the two. "You're not feeling well? What's wrong? Are you sure that you shouldn't be resti-"

"Mary, it really isn't anything that serious. I promise." She shook her head quickly, dark curls bouncing around with the movement. Cass watched as her godmother's eyebrows dropped and drew together briefly in concern, helping her to remember to continue speaking quickly. "Really, I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about, I just began feeling a bit stuffy in my room. And anyways, I've been inside most of the day. I'm sure that I'm just in need of some fresh air.I'll probably just be to Gringotts to collect some money for the trolley tomorrow on the train, and then maybe I'll go to the apothecary or Flourish and Blotts to be sure I've gotten everything one last time, and then I'll be back." The concern on Mary's face seemed to ease slightly, but not enough that Cass couldn't still see that it was still present.

A long moment passed before either said anything. Mary examined her goddaughter's face carefully, concern still on her face, and Cassiopeia stood without moving in front of her. Finally, Mary nodded and let out a quiet sigh.

"Okay." She said finally in resignation, lifting a hand and tucking a stray curl of her goddaughter's wild black hair behind her ear. The curl bounced back defiantly, settling back around to the front of her face and Cassi let out a quiet laugh at the familiar look of defeat that crossed Mary's face at the action. "But you'll be sure to be back in time for dinner with us. And I want you to get to bed at a reasonable hour, I won't have you up all night for no reason if you aren't feeling well. Besides, I'm sure you'll want your energy for the journey tomorrow."

Cassiopeia's lips curled upwards and she let out a laugh, nodding in agreement. "I will be, I promise."

"Good girl." Mary smiled softly and raised herself on her toes to press a kiss onto her goddaughter's forehead. "Be careful."

"Always am," Cass promised, doing her best to keep herself from pulling anymore concern from Mary.

Taking a step back, Mary stepped back into her own room, and as the door shut, Cassi turned around and began to make her way down the stairs once again. Making her way to the bottom, she looked around for the twins, and only after being certain that they were nowhere inside the Leaky Cauldron did she exit onto the constantly busy street that was Diagon Alley.

Despite it being midday, the alley was still bustling with activity, witches and wizards of all age crowded around. Chattering filled the street and owls from Eeylop's Owl Emporium could be heard even from a distance. Cassiopeia stepped into the street and turned towards in the direction of Gringotts, planning to go with the plan she had told Mary. Reaching into her pocket, she confirmed that she had remembered to grab the key for her mother's vault.

The trip to the bank was one that didn't take any longer than it had in previous years. Once she had reached the inside of the bank and had reached the desk, Cass was taken to a cart, and send zooming down to the McKinnon's vault. Within minutes she had collected enough money to last until she would return home for the winter holidays, and was then on her way back to the shining entrance hall of the marble bank.

Finishing up inside of the bank, Cassiopeia stepped onto the marble steps leading to the bank. Being outside once again, even in the shade cast from the large shadow of Gringotts, reminded Cassiopeia of just how sharp the contrast could be in temperatures when it came to summertime. The cool interior of the bank seemed to disappear within seconds of exiting, the hot summer air seeming to cover Cassi's skin immediately.

Witches and wizards swarmed around, some passing the young witch on the stairs of the bank, others going in all directions on the street. Stepping down onto the cobblestone street, Cassiopeia began to head off towards the apothecary.

"Cass?" A voice called out from somewhere nearby as she began to pass Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Turning on her heel, Cassi turned towards the voice and felt a smile break out across her face as her eyes rested on the voice's owner.

"Harry!" She exclaimed in excitement, lifting on her feet slightly before quickening her stride to nearly a run. The two shared a hug as soon as she reached him, the excited grin never leaving Cassiopeia's face. "It's so good to see you. How long have you been here?"

"A couple weeks, now." He responded, green eyes shining with happiness, "It's sort of a long story-"

"Long story?" A feminine voice quipped, and Cass looked over the younger Gryffindor's shoulder to see two more of her fellow lions approaching, carrying ice cream cones of their own. Her lips curved up even more ever so slightly at the sight of the youngest Weasley son and the Muggle-born whom Cassi had no doubt was brighter than most of her own class. Ron began laughing again, and Hermione rolled her eyes and let out a sigh, "That's what you're going to refer to it as now?" She asked with a shake of her head before looking towards the older girl, "Hello, Cass."

"Hermione." She nodded with a laugh before looking back towards Harry again, eyebrows pulling together, "What happened?"

"He blew up his aunt," Ron laughed, and Cassi got the sense that it was something he had been waiting to say for quite some time. Harry, in front of his friend, sighed at the laughter; on his other side, Hermione looked towards Ron and scratched at her nose, attempting to show Ron that he had gotten ice cream onto his own.

Cass could feel here eye widening as she glanced back towards Harry, "You did what?" She asked in disbelief before laughing, "So you've finally done the Muggles in, huh?"

"It wasn't Petunia." Harry said quickly, "It was my uncle's sister. And I didn't mean to do it." He said with an obvious glance back towards the ginger, who continued to laugh and ignore the gestures Hermione was making. "It was an accident."

She couldn't help laughing at the desperations she could tell Harry was going through to prove it wasn't his fault. "Isn't that what you said last year when that House Elf dropped a cake on your uncle's friend?"

Ron's laughter seemed to magnify, and Hermione let out a sigh once again before finally reaching over and wiping the ice cream off of his nose with the wadded up napkin that she was holding in her spare hand.

"That wasn't my fault either!" Harry exclaimed, only to then see the look of amusement on Cassiopeia's face, showing that she wasn't being any more serious than she ever could manage to be for long in his presence. Sighing, Harry shook his head before deciding to move on from the subject of his summers on Privet Drive, "How long have you been here?"

"Not too long, a week at the most." She shrugged nonchalantly, "We've been staying at the Leaky Cauldron. I can't believe that you and I haven't run into each other sooner."

"Neither can I, but apparently I've been doing that with everyone. Today's the first I've seen of Ron and Hermione all summer, either."

"We've only been here today," Ron piped up before going back to his ice cream and tilting to avoid getting into Hermione's grasp again.

"And my parents and I got here the night before last, but we've been so busy," Hermione added, giving up on her attempts to wipe the new stain off of Ron's face. Biting the last bit of her cone, Hermione wiped her face and hands before tossing the remaining napkin into a nearby trash bin. "Is Cedric here with you as well?" She asked, turning her attention back towards Cassiopeia.

She could always count on Hermione to carry on conversations.

"Not that I know of," Cassi answered the question with a slight shrug. She saw no reason to let any of them know of her current wish that Cedric would in fact show up in Diagon Alley, though she knew it would be impossible. No, she was going to have to wait until the next day, when they would both be at the train station to see him. "But we're meeting tomorrow at Kings Cross before the train leaves, just like always."

Hermione opened her mouth, no doubt to ask another question, before Ron let out a loud groan, "Oh, c'mon Hermione, why's it matter?"

" _Ron!_ " Hermione exclaimed, shoving at him just as Harry moved to stand next to Cassi and get out of the way, "That's rude!"

"She said he'll be there tomorrow!" Ron was quick to respond, albeit throughout a mouthful of ice cream that caused Hermione to look away in disgust until he shut his mouth again.

"That may be our cue," Cass muttered quietly to Harry during the exchange.

"Have I been keeping you from something?" Harry asked quickly, looking up towards the older of the two. "I'm sorry, I hadn't meant-"

"Harry, no, you're fine." She spoke over him quickly, not wanting an apology. "I was just headed to pick up some last minute things for Hogwarts, but it's fine. I'm happy I got to see you."

"We probably should head to pick up that tonic for Scabbers soon, too." Hermione spoke up, eyeing Ron from the side carefully before turning her attention back towards the others. "I promised Mum I'd be back for dinner. Not to mention it's probably best to keep Ron from saying anything else to Cassi today that could be seen rude." She added with an eye roll, to which Ron scoffed and finished his own ice cream.

"Right," Harry said with a nod before turning back towards Cass. "I'll see you soon."

"Maybe even at dinner," she said with a shrug before ruffling his hair, something that didn't do much for it either way. "If not I'm sure I'll see you at Kings Cross tomorrow."

The group said their goodbyes, and Cass watched as the younger trio headed off in the direction of Eeylop's before turning to head towards her original destination.

* * *

The morning of September first was a dreary one. Though the sun was shining high and bright in the sky, filling the air with warmth, clouds filled the skies and blocked any rays of light that may attempt to shine down onto the busy streets of London. Cassiopeia awoke earlier than she had all summer, her eyes opening into a room that was not nearly as bright as she had grown accustomed. It took a moment for her mind to adjust to consciousness before she could remember that today was the day she would be returning to Hogwarts. The day she would return to her home away from home. The day she would finally get to see Cedric again.

On the nightstand beside her bed sat a small, round, and dusty clock that allowed her to see that time was barely reaching seven o'clock. She had yet to hear the rapping on the door that would be her surefire tell that Mary and Reginald were ready to head out, and that she needed to be ready to leave as well. However, that didn't stop her from hearing a tapping coming from somewhere else within the room. Blinking up from looking towards the clock and still attempting to adjust to being awake, Cassi shifted in bed and sat up. Her dark curls had found their way to sticking up in all directions during the night and had become practically a large knot on the back of her head overnight as they always did, but at the least today that gave her a chance to see without having to peer through the mass of curls. At the window on the other side of the room, a large tawny owl that she was incredibly familiar with was pecking at the glass with her beak, attempting to get her attention and be let inside.

Seeing her owl, Cass sat up quickly and pushed back the heavy blankets that settled on the mattress and crossed the space as fast as she could. Unlatching the window allowed for Mandra to come back to the room, and Cassi ran a finger over her head affectionately before giving her a pellet in return, untying the parchment from her leg.

 _Cassi,_

 _Now you have me worried. I'll talk to my father, and hopefully we'll be there by nine thirty at the latest. If you can get onto the train whenever you get there, go to our usual compartment. I'll find you. Whatever's happened, it'll be fine. Remember that._

 _Love you too,_

 _Cedric_

She reread the note once, twice, three times. Three more just to be sure it was real. It was only then that she tore her eyes away from it, only so to shut them and let out a deep breath of relief. She knew that it was silly, gaining so much relief from a few lines scribbled on parchment. But after the day she'd had previously, it was much more of a relief than she ever could have imagined, knowing that she would be returning to Hogwarts and to Cedric so soon. That he was still so unflinchingly willing to assure her things would be okay, even with nothing to go on.

Of course, every year when the first came around she was excited to go back to Hogwarts, to see Cedric again. That was one thing that hadn't changed in the six years it had been since they had met on the Hogwarts Express for the first time. Even with the previous few years, with their relationship going in a direction that led somewhere far different than simply being friends. Though this year, the anticipation of going back seemed to be different than previous years. It wasn't just excitement this year. No, now it had relief and a much stronger sense of anticipation to back it up as well.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that talk of Sirius Black was finally reaching her ears, more so than just hearing her godparents' hushed whispers and reading a newspaper. He had been a topic at dinner that everyone had seemed to want to let lie, but nobody could manage to let go of.

Cassiopeia had kept her promise to Mary to be back in the Leaky Cauldron in time for dinner. She'd arrived back at the pub nearly as soon as Harry and the others did. After a quick trip upstairs to drop off the things she had gotten during her outing, she had returned downstairs to eat with her godparents. It became evident as she came back downstairs that Reginald and Arthur could be speaking all night, and upon seeing how much Mary and Molly seemed to want a chance to catch up as well, the decision was easily made that it would be simpler for everyone to eat together. Harry of course joined them all, as did Hermione and her parents. The Grangers retired earlier than the rest, save for Hermione, who opted to stay with her friends a bit longer.

It wasn't until after the Grangers went to sleep that things took a turn for the dark. Nearly immediately, Reginald and Arthur began to speak in hushed voices at the end of the table, drawing both the younger trio, and the Weasley twins and Cassi's attention away from their laughter and towards the men. Their voices were quiet, clearly trying not to draw attention to themselves, but with the continual head shakes and worried glances towards their respective families, that was proving to be quite impossible. Neither Molly nor Mary moved to tell their husbands when it was enough until Reginald slipped and said the name loud enough to be heard at the other end of the large table they were all stretch around, loud enough for Cassi to hear it clear as day and whip her head towards the direction of his voice instantaneously.

The twins stopped their laughing then, looking towards their father in the same second that George was whipped in the face by black curls as their friend's head turned towards her godfather. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's own laughs faltered as the rest of the table fell quiet, and with the sudden lack of speaking, the men soon after fell silent as well.

Mary was the first to speak, clearing her throat and pushing back the wooden chair she'd been seated in, the traction on the floor giving off a moan as the seat moved. "That is quite enough for tonight, then, I'd say. Cassi, why don't you head up and get ready for bed? Reg, a word, please." She said, her tone giving the impression that it was something that was non-negotiable. From opposite sides of the table, both Cassiopeia and her godfather began to rise and it was as they did so that Molly declared it time for her own children to be off to bed as well.

It was a new kind of tension that filled the Leaky Cauldron's bar then, though none of the teenagers did anything to argue their parents, not even the twins. Mary stood still, waiting for Reginald to stand and reach her before going in the direction of the staircase and up the four flights it would take to get to their room. Molly began scurrying around the table, attempting to clean up while continually shooting looks towards her husband, only to be stopped from her tinkering when Tom came from his quarters to tell her he would handle it and that she should go to bed-and that no, he would not be letting her argue.

Hermione bode goodnight to the Weasleys, Harry, and Cassi before beginning to climb the stairs to return to her parents. Percy was the next to retire, barely saying so much as a word to anyone on his way up. Only the twins, Ron, and Harry lingered with Cassiopeia for a moment before beginning to climb the stairs. The twins and Cass continued to share silent looks, nobody daring to bring up the name of Sirius Black while still around Molly; Ron and Harry muttered quietly between the two of them, but they barely made it up one flight before the voice of Arthur Weasley called up and asked Harry to return. A look passed between all five of them then, before Harry shrugged and began to retreat down the stairs once again. Ron froze, prepared to wait, and as Cassi froze in her steps as well so did the twins.

"No, you all go ahead." She had insisted, "I left something downstairs. Go to bed, none of us need your mother getting upset so close to school starting."

All three of the Weasleys were reluctant to leave, muttering in an obstinate way as the trudged up the stairs. Cassiopeia waited until they were far enough upstairs to return back down the stairs she had already climbed. She was careful not to let anyone detect her as she tried to reach a place to listen to whatever was happening.

What she heard was a whispered conversation, one that did nothing to help with the confusion she had been battling all day, ever since she first heard the name Sirius Black.

"Harry, you must promise that you will not go looking for Black," Arthur was saying in a hushed voice, speaking very quickly.

"Mr. Weasley, why would I go looking for someone who wants to _kill_ me?" Harry's voice carried towards her, just as hushed as Arthur's had been.

Cass could feel her eyebrows pulling in on themselves in confusion, more questions beginning to form in her head again. She listened closer, only to hear Arthur telling Harry to be off to bed. Not wanting anyone to know she had listened, not even Harry, Cass had taken off on the staircase again, shutting her door firmly behind her before doing everything in her power to at least attempt to get to sleep.

That night, along with all mention of the escaped convict from Azkaban, had only left her with more questions than she liked. More concern and anxiety than she thought she was genetically wired to handle. The hushed discussion between her godfather and Arthur Weasley was one that she thought would have given Mary a perfect opportunity to tell her whatever it was that connected her and Sirius Black. She didn't, of course, and instead left Cassi with more frustration and confusion than she ever fancied having.

Now it was all she could hope that maybe Mary would choose to tell her before she got onto the train and left for two and a half months. After all, wouldn't it make more sense for Mary to tell her the truth, to have her be prepared, instead of sending her off to school? Unfortunately she felt as if that was just wishful thinking; Hogwarts was one of the safest wizarding institutions around. There was no possible way Sirius Black would be able to get into the castle to come after Harry, or herself, while they were there. Not while Dumbledore was Headmaster.

Sighing in frustration, Cass lifted the dark mass of hair off the back of her neck and shut her eyes for a moment. Whatever the situation, she refused to let it implicate her entire year. Maybe all this hushed talk of a mass murderer coming for the Boy Who Lived and Cassiopeia herself was all a load of rubbish.

It didn't take very long for her to gather all of her things back into her trunk from where they were scattered throughout the room after that, and once she had managed to fight a hairbrush through the mass of tangled curls that was her hair, getting ready herself wasn't a long task either. By then, it was nearly quarter til eight, and Cassi was shocked that neither Mary or Reginald had come for her. Just as the thought crossed her mind, a quiet, repetitive rap sounded on the door, and upon her calling, the door opened and her godfather's head peered inside.

"We'll be headed out soon, love, are you ready?" His voice carried into the room in the same calming manner it always seemed to carry. Cass always wondered if that was why Mary always sent him to care for her in the night when she had nightmares growing up.

"Just about," she confirmed with a nod, turning from the trunk she had just securely locked to face him. She knew that soon she would lose the chance to bring it up to either of them at all without Mandra or the family's owl carrying it as a written word. As easy as it would seem in theory to ask and wait for a reply, she didn't want that. She wanted the answer in person, face to face. "Reg, can I ask you something before we go?" The words flew out of her before she had the chance to really think it through.

"Of course," Reginald stepped into the room from the doorway and shut the door quietly behind him. That was another thing that Cass wouldn't help but always appreciate about her godfather; he had always been good about picking up cues from her without having to have her say anything.

Her teeth bit down hard on the inside of her lip, feeling the skin in her mouth pierce briefly at the contact. Of course the subject wasn't something she thought should simply be blurted out with no reason at all, but every genetic in her body never seemed to take those things into consideration. "Who is Sirius Black?" She blurted, swallowing hard as the words left her mouth and she saw the color fade slightly from his face.

He did regain himself quickly, she had to admit. Shaking his head, Reginald moved into the room enough to sit on the mattress, and she soon followed to sit next to him. "He was...a friend." The words were leaving him slowly, and Cassi couldn't tell whether or not that was intentional, "He was a very good friend of your mother's. Mary, too."

Cassi began to chew on her lower lip again. It wasn't often that she found herself at a loss for words. But somehow, the realization that the man who had escaped from Azkaban had been friends with the mother she could never remember seemed to do that to her. Still, she had so many questions.

"What did he do?" She asked quietly, looking up towards her godfather cautiously, "Why was he in prison?"

He let out a sigh, wringing his hands together in the same way she always knew he had when stressed for whatever reason before. "He was a support of You-Know-Who. It's believed that he gave information to him on the night that your friend Harry's parents were killed that led him to James and Lily. And to cover his tracks, he went after one of his closest friends from school, and he murdered him to keep him from turning him in. Twelve Muggles were caught in the explosion that killed Peter Pettigrew. That was the night that Sirius Black went to prison."

"It's _believed_?" She asked very quietly, the entire thing seeming to whirl around and around in her head. She had known from the paper that he was convicted for murder. But the idea of this man being someone her mother once may have confided in sent a chill throughout her entire body.

"He's never given a direct confession," Reginald told her, looking down towards her. "From what I've gathered over the years, he's also one of the few Azkaban prisoners whose sanity has never wavered. It's truly eerie."

"Were you his friend too?"

"I was," Reginald admitted after a moment of silence, sighing as he spoke. "None of us ever knew he was working for You-Know-Who. Nobody expected it."

"The Ministry will find him, won't they?" She could hear her voice beginning to sound smaller and smaller with every word, though a flame of rage was building slowly inside of her. The idea of a man who helped Harry lose his parents being loose was enough to both horrify and enrage her.

"We're doing everything that we can." He assured her with another sigh, and she could tell that he was trying to decide whether or not he wanted to continue with whatever it was he was thinking. "Mary doesn't want you to know, but you're bound to find out tonight. The Minister has decided to send Dementors to Hogwarts this year." He finally told her after a long moment.

Cassi could feel her eyes widening in shock as she did nothing but stare at her godfather in surprise. She remembered learning about the Dementors in Defense, three years prior, before their teachers began to get crazier each year. "What?" She exclaimed in shock, her voice sounding higher even to her ears. "Why?"

"It's just a precaution, sweetheart. And in any case, Dumbledore has been sure to have a say in the entire thing. They won't be a threat to any of you this year."

She wanted to open her mouth again, to argue or to beg for assurance, she couldn't tell which. But she never got the chance, before there was another knock on the door again and Mary's head peered in as the door opened again, "Are we ready? The car will be downstairs in a moment for the station."

Cass took the second to glance towards Reginald, who nodded. With that head bob it became clear to her that whatever conversation they had been having was over. And with that, she stood up as well, and the three of them began to gather her things to head to the train station.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow! I was and still am so excited to see how much positivity this story has gotten so far! A huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed this, or followed or favorited it so far, I appreciate it so very much!**

 **A huge thank you also goes out to a reviewer who pointed out a mistake I had made in the timeline, concerning the ages of Cassi and the Weasley twins - I messed around with it for so long trying to get it right and still managed to confuse myself somehow, so thank you for pointing out the mistake to me!**

 **As always, reviews and the like are extremely appreciated!**

 **Also, I wish everyone a very happy new year!**


	3. Chapter 3

The ride to Kings Cross was a rather uneventful one. After her albeit brief and otherwise still confusing conversation with her godfather about Sirius Black, Cassi had lost any will she may have had to speak, and instead took to staring out the window. She could feel Reginald eyeing her carefully, but despite what she knew was his attempt to get her to at least look at him, she purposefully kept her eyes on the road that passed quickly by outside. Cass' will not to speak had left the car with quiet noises, Mary fussing quietly about this and that, and Mandra's cage clanking along in between the women, rattling against Cassiopeia's leg every so often and sending Mandra to start hooting aggressively each time.

Whatever it was that Mary was talking about, Cassi wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention. All she could think about was what she had been told in the spare minutes she had managed to get with her godfather. There wasn't a single piece of it that didn't leave her head spinning. The entire point of asking Reg about Sirius Black was meant to give her at least some answers to the questions she'd come to have in the last twenty four hours, but somehow she had only managed to end up with more questions. And these were questions she wasn't sure how to get the answers to. If she ever would.

Why would her mother have been friends with a Death Eater? Of course, any memories she possessed that involved Marlene were incredibly fuzzy, but from all the stories she had heard from Mary, she had to believe that she had been a good person. And good people didn't befriend Death Eaters, did they? Especially not the ones who intentionally betrayed their so-called friends and orphaned a one year old in the process. But that only begged to another question, and this was one that seemed to have a stronger impact on Cassi altogether, so much that just thinking it made her feel ill: had he been responsible for Marlene's death, too? Was he the reason she had lost her mother?

Any other questions she had, the questioning of why someone would be after Harry-after her-seemed silly and irrelevant in comparison.

And that was how the ride to the train station seemed to go. Question upon question, upon question seemed to pile up in her mind, so much to the point that she nearly felt claustrophobic in the relatively roomy vehicle. So much that as soon as the Ministry distributed car had come to a stop, Cassi had flung the door open and leapt out into the warm and inviting air of the morning. She could barely hear the alarmed noises that her godparents made before making their own exits as well, so when Reginald placed a hand on her back in an attempt to comfort her, she could feel her body jump nearly a foot into the air.

"Easy, love," he said quietly, sharing a look with Mary before veering his goddaughter towards the other end of the car. "Are you alright?"

Her head began shaking in denial before she could stop it, and she looked up towards the man that had raised her with wide blue eyes, glazed over slightly and looking crystallized. "I don't know." She muttered, feeling the short breath that left her body shake as it did.

Reginald placed his hands on her shoulders in a way of getting her to look at him, and she tilted her head up to oblige; she may have outgrown Mary by fourteen, but her godfather still had several inches on her. "Cassiopeia." He said very quietly, and it was the use of her full name that fully pulled her attention out of her head; very rarely did either of the Cattermoles call her by it. "I want you to listen to me very carefully. You are to pay no attention to anything involving Sirius Black. The things that I've told you this morning were to keep you from being completely oblivious with you going back to Hogwarts and that man still on the loose. The Ministry will do its job and will find him and place him back in Azkaban as soon as possible. I do not want you to be worrying yourself ill over that man. He is not worth it. Do you understand me?"

She wasn't sure that she did; how was she supposed to keep from obsessing over the enigma that was Sirius Black, escaped murderer who may or may not be coming after one of her favorite people? After her? She opened her mouth, a protest on her lips, but instead shut her lips once more and gave a minute nod.

"Good." The tone that he had taken on held a note of finality in it, and just like that, Cass knew that the door to anything relating Sirius Black was closed as far as her godfather was concerned, "Now come on, we both know how Mary gets when it comes to you getting to the train."

With that, Reginald placed a hand firmly around his godchild's shoulders and veered her back towards the back of the car to retrieve her belongings. After a worried look from Mary was given to the both of them and Cass assured her twice that she really was okay, the small family headed towards the appropriate brick wall that would lead them to the secret platform for the Hogwarts Express. After checking that everything on was in place, particularly the owl, and that nobody was watching, Cass rushed towards the wall. She no longer winced as the bricks came closer, as she did during the first few years of her education. Instead, she braced herself for what she would see on the other side, and she welcomed the indescribable feeling that rushed through her the moment she was on the platform. There was something about it that always made her feel as if magic was hanging in the air, more so than even Diagon Alley and only just slightly less than Hogwarts and Hogsmeade themselves.

A smile broke out across her face as her eyes landed on the bright scarlet steam engine, and it was only magnified as she realized the sun here wasn't blocked as it was in London. She could hear Mary and Reginald arrive behind her, and with a shared glance between her and her godfather, Cass let him take control of the cart and steer it towards the train. Despite the early hour and the span of time that was still to wait through until the train would leave, platform 9 ¾ was already buzzing with activity. Laughter and the sounds of owls echoed throughout the station, and everywhere friends could be heard as people found one another.

She couldn't help but look around the station, if not for any other reason than to allow her senses to take it all in again. Three months away from it all really was too long. Of course, locating her friends, and most importantly Cedric, had partly to do with her scan of the station. But the simple awe and joy that came with being wrapped once again in air that was so potently filled with magic was enough that she nearly forgot about her desperation to see her badger again.

Pressure on her waist from behind pulled her with a sudden jolt out of her wondered state, and her hand flew to her heart as if ensuring it hadn't jumped from her chest. A moment passed before she remembered somebody was touching her, or more accurately, seemed to be holding her, if the arms she could see wound around her was any indication.

An excited grin broke across her features as the realization came to her of who was behind her; he was the only person who was capable of getting away with touching her in such a way without getting hexed, a valuable lesson she could remember George learning the year before when he'd tried to as a joke. She whipped her body around in his grasp as quickly as she could, barely paying any attention to the dark tendrils that smacked him in the face as she did so.

She could barely contain the giggle that burst up through her throat and out of her lips as she saw him wince at a particularly long strand of dark curls that had nearly hit his left eye.

"Sorry." There was laughter in her voice as she shook her hair back behind her shoulders and wound her arms up around his neck. Before he had a chance to respond, she had leaned up and pressed her lips against his. A surge of happiness rushed through her as she felt him respond, arms tightening around her slightly as his lips began to move against hers. Only a few weeks had passed since they had last seen each other, and yet she still could swear that her body had managed to forget how he tasted; like honey and hope.

Her grip on him tightened, fingernails grazing the back of his throat and she could feel her body being drawn closer. Any sense in her mind seemed to disappear, no longer reminding her that not only were her godparents inevitably somewhere nearby, but likely so were his. But weeks had passed then since they had last seen each other, and the desire to touch him had only been growing in the time that had passed since then. Since they had given their virtues to each other and declared their love for each other in a much stronger way than they had before.

Somewhere nearby came the sound of someone clearing their throat, pulling Cassi out of her momentary bliss. She pulled her face away from Cedric's just enough to catch her rickety breath and to see her godfather over Cedric's shoulder, clearly uncomfortable and waiting for them to stop.

"Reg!" Cass could hear herself exclaiming in shock; she really had gone oblivious. From where she was she could hear Cedric draw in a deep breath of preparation before she released him. He turned around slowly to face Reginald, removing his grip on Cassi, only for her to grab hold of one of his hands the minute he had.

"Mr. Cattermole, sir." Cedric's voice was strained with nerves and discomfort as he spoke, and Cassi had to bite down on her tongue to keep from laughing.

"Cedric." Reginald's voice wasn't any less strained, and as both men attempted not to wince as they shook hands, Cass rolled her eyes and began to laugh before she could control it.

"Bloody hell," she said, laughter continuing to bubble up. "I thought you two had gotten past this."

Reg cleared his throat and released Cedric's hand, which Cass noticed he had begun stretching as if in discomfort. "That doesn't mean I enjoy seeing the two of you...entangled." The phrase seemed to pain him yet again, and Cass laughed again. She could have continued to goad the both of them, but any remarks that had come to her lips fell away as her eyes lay on her godmother a bit of a distance away.

Mary's posture seemed very stiff, even from a distance, and her arms were crossed tightly across her chest. From where she was standing, Cass followed what seemed to be Mary's line of sight, and her eyebrows pulled down and close together in confusion. Mary seemed to be staring towards a man Cass was certain she had never seen before. His robes seemed to reflect his skin; graying and weathered. The light brown hair on his head was beginning to gray as well, and even his trunk seemed tattered. Certainly he was far too old to be a student. But he had no children of his own with him, leaving her to wonder what he was doing on their platform.

And he seemed to be trying to keep from making any sort of contact with anyone, headed straight towards the scarlet steam engine with his head down. Cass watched him intently, averting her eyes towards her godmother. Mary seemed to be keeping her eyes trained to the graying man, and Cass blinked, turning back towards where she had last seen him. But by then, he had disappeared into the crowd.

She nearly dropped Cedric's hand in the process, turning her entire body and twisting her arm at an odd angle. Whatever awkward unpleasantries Cedric and Reg had seemed to be sharing during the time she had been watching Mary watch the mysterious man came to a halt as Cedric felt his arm twisting. Reg eyed his goddaughter warily, and Cedric himself raised an eyebrow in confusion before turning his body to keep either of their arms from being caused any more discomfort.

"Cassi," he muttered, leaning close to her ear. "What're you doing?"

She blinked again in confusion, barely hearing the words or feeling her hand being dropped, pressure going to both of her shoulders. Soothing motions continued on her shoulder blades as Cedric massaged them and leaned his head to her ear again. "Cassi."

She nearly jumped out of her skin for a second time that day then. Blinking again in confusion, Cass tried to remember what had been happening. She continued to stare in a confused way around the station, trying to remember what she had lost, when her sights began to change as Cedric tugged her shoulders and turned her to face him.

"What are you doing?" He repeated quietly, and Cass could see the concern that pooled into gray eyes as he looked at her.

"I..I just saw…" Cassi's voice trailed off quietly until it was barely a whisper. She looked around again in confusion, now no longer able to spot Mary.

"Cass." There was now a note of concern in Cedric's voice to match his expression as he took hold of her chin and eased her back to face him. "What is it? Is this about what you-"

She didn't realize she was shaking her head until Cedric had fallen silent.

"No," her voice was barely a whisper as she spoke, eyeing her godfather carefully from over her Hufflepuff's shoulder. "No, but we can't talk about that here."

An expression somewhere between confusion and concern swept over Cedric's features, and Cass shook her head again, silently pleading him to drop the subject. A strange expression passed over his face then, but he nodded, and Cass offered a small smile of gratitude.

Mary reappeared into her vision then from over Cedric's shoulder, and Cass could feel her eyebrows pulling together at the expression on her godmother's face as she approached.

"Oh, good. I thought it was you two over here. Oh, hello, Cedric," Mary's voice sounded very distant in Cassi's ears as her godmother stopped next to Reginald, linking her arm through his with a very strange look on her face. Cedric twisted around once more to look towards Cassi's godparents, wrapping his arm around her to keep her by his side before offering a nod towards Mary.

"Sweetheart, I'm very sorry we're leaving you so early. I've only just remembered, we need to be sure the car gets back to the Ministry and I was supposed to return to work this after-"

"You're leaving?" The words slipped out before Cass could stop them, rushing out quickly.

"I know it's terribly early of us and that we've always stayed until you've taken off and I'm very sorry, darling, but-"

"No!" The refusal escaped from her lips before she could stop it, and it was only after feeling Cedric's pressure on her arm increase slightly that she had realized just how soon she had been to speak. Biting down on her tongue, Cassi shook her head. She wanted very badly to go back to the attitude she'd always held in the past: one that had her known for not giving much care to anything. But the idea of Mary and Reginald leaving and finally giving her enough of a chance of a chance to breathe, to try and process the last day of her life and attempt to explain it to Cedric, had become far too tempting.

"No, of course I understand." She said again, in a much calmer voice this time. Pulling the corners of her mouth up to help further her point, she repeated the words once again, "It's really fine, we'll just go and find our compartment a bit early. I may even search down the trolley before the train leaves, just to keep from having to be a bother to her later."

The easy way in which she shrugged and grinned towards her godparents nearly convinced even herself that everything was fine. That instead of the carefree lion she'd always felt and behaved like, she was now beginning to slowly feel as if she was sinking further and further into a prison of her own, even if she couldn't quite understand why.

"Oh good." The sound of her godmother's voice pulled her out of her thoughts, and Cass could hear the relief in Mary's voice. "I trust you'll be staying with her?" She turned her attention towards Cedric, who gave a promised and a nod to stay with Cassi, and the lion could feel his arm tightening around her as he did so.

The goodbyes were much more brief than in the years before, and Cass could sense urgency in Mary's attempt at leaving the entire time. Hugs and well wishes were exchanged, both on Cass and Cedric's parts, as the Cattermole's took to saying their goodbyes to him as well. Within the span of five minutes, it was evident to not only Cassiopeia, but she assumed to Cedric and Reginald as well, that Mary wanted to leave. She began to retreat towards the barrier, where she soon disappeared back to the Muggle station, leaving her husband behind with their goddaughter, confusion and concern etched onto his face.

"Can we have a word before I head off, dear?" He asked, turning towards Cass. Between the note in his voice and the way he glanced sideways towards Cedric, that told his desire to be left alone with her. Giving him a defiant look, Cass tightened her grip on the badger in an attempt to keep him from leaving.

"Of course," Cedric answered before Cassi could even get a word out, unwinding himself from her and in turn promptly ignoring the look she gave him. "I believe I see my father, anyways and I'm sure he'd like a moment before he leaves." With that, Cedric left Cassi with her godfather, crossing behind Reginald and looking back to mouth an apology before turning back towards in the direction of Amos.

Within the moment that followed Cedric's departure, Reginald placed his hands on his godchild's shoulders and made sure to have her attention before speaking.

"I know you've heard me say it several times already, and you know that I like him, but please-"

"Be careful with Cedric." She finished in a monotone with a blank blink. "I know. I've actually lost count of how many times you've said so in the last-"

"Cassiopeia. Please. We both know that I could go on the same fatherly talk I've given you every year since the two of you became...involved. And I also know that you are responsible enough not to need me to repeat it yet again. That isn't what I'm trying to do-please, love, let me finish." He said as Cass opened her mouth to speak, only to promptly shut it yet again. "All I ask is that you use your head before offering him any information that may...complicate things."

Dark eyebrows drew together in confusion at his words, and it took her a moment to work through what he was saying before she could speak. For all she knew, Reg had continued to talk in the time it had taken for her to make sense of only part of it.

"Sirius Black." She breathed, watching as an expression crossed over her godfather's face that she could tell was his way of telling her she was correct. "You're worried of what I might tell him."

Reginald shook his head, "No sweetheart, that isn't it. I'm sure by now that he is aware that there has been a breakout from Azkaban, it's been all over the Prophet and Amos does have his position in the Ministry so I'm certain he's heard plenty about the current situation as well. My concern lies in-"

"Me." The assurance in her tone nearly surprised even herself, though the statement seemed to do more to confuse Reginald than anything else. "Your concern lies in the fact that Sirius Black may be after me." She stated slowly, only remembering after the fact that neither of her godparents had bothered to inform her personally of the fact that she had overheard previously.

Reginald released a deep breath and tightened his grip slightly on her shoulders, as if trying to plead with her to listen to him. "I don't know how you came to that conclusion-"

"I overheard you and Mary talking about it yesterday." She admitted, though it seemed that he hadn't heard her at all.

"-But my concern lies in the fact that I know you in the past have had a penchant for trying to handle things yourself. And before you ask, yes I am aware that you attempted to get onto that locked corridor two years ago and that you spent two days worth of classes in the hospital wing trying to reanimate Hermione Granger and Justin Finch-Fetchley last year during those incidents with that chamber. Your desire to keep certain facts hidden from your godmother and I does not mean that Professor Dumbledore does not inform us himself." He said, barely giving Cass a chance to sigh before continuing, "I expect that you will be telling Cedric about the...conversation we had earlier this morning about Black. To be frank, I would have been more shocked if you had decided not to. All I ask is that you use your head. Do not try to go looking for Black. Do not try to rope that young man into some sort of charade to find that man that could get you both into serious danger-"

"I won't." Cassi's voice was high, even in her own ears, as she answered. Angry as she was whenever she remembered what Sirius Black was known to have downne and what he had taken from Harry, the idea of seeking him out was one that hadn't crossed her mind. "I promise, I'm not going to go searching for a murderer who supported You-Know-Who. But...but, Reg, why does Mary think that he would be coming after m-"

A smile spread across Reginald Cattermole's face and froze Cassi before the words could even finish forming on her mouth. Confusion flooded her face once again as she realized he was no longer watching her, but instead seemed to be staring over the top of her head. Turning in his grasp, she could barely make out two figures approaching until the hands holding her shoulders were removed. Cedric was once more in her line of vision, and she fell back to him without any prompting. Amos and Reg shook hands, speaking in overly joyous voices as they greeted each other before Cedric's father turned towards the students.

"I'd been wondering where my boy had disappeared to, and now it all makes sense!" He boomed, grinning towards Cassi, forcing her to remember to return the gesture.

"Great to see you, Mr. Diggory." She said, tightening her arm around his son. Without even a glance up towards him, she could tell he'd gotten the message, as he'd cleared his throat.

"I'm sure Mum's getting lonely at home, Dad." He said, pulling his father's attention away from the Cattermole and the McKinnon.

"Ah, yes I'm sure you're right." Amos nodded before turning his head towards Reginald, "The wife's fallen ill, I'm afraid. First year she's never come to see our boy off. Though I can attest she certainly did put up a fair fight, eh, Ced?" He laughed in his booming way again, and Cass and Reginald both felt compelled to return the noise as Cedric attested to his father's words.

Loud chimes began to sweep throughout the platform, ten beats echoing all through the space. With a heavy sigh, Amos patted his son's shoulder, "I suppose I should be off, son." He said, and Cedric pulled away from Cassi momentarily to hug his father. As he pulled back he proceeded to drawing her back towards him while Amos turned towards her. "Of course it is lovely to see you again as well, Cass."

"Lovely to see you, sir. Please give Mrs. Diggory my regards." She offered the elder Diggory a genuine smile with her words.

"Mine as well, Amos." Reginald pulled his co-worker's attention from Cassi. The men shook hands, and then Amos Diggory was off.

Reginald turned back towards the kids then. "I suppose I should be off to find Mary now as well, then." He said, and Cass offered him a hug with the arm that wasn't latched onto the Hufflepuff. He pressed a kiss onto her forehead before he pulled back, holding a hand out towards Cedric to shake. "You take care of her." Reg said as he shook the younger's hand.

"Of course, sir." Cedric nodded.

With a nod of approval, Reginald offered the pair a safe journey and gave his love to Cassi one more time before turning and departing from the platform back to the Muggle side of Kings Cross, where Mary was waiting.

* * *

In the hour that followed the departure of the Cattermoles and Amos Diggory, the dark haired lion and the fair badger had managed to keep themselves occupied. As Reginald disappeared through the brick wall that concealed the entrance to the magical platform, Cassi had let out a sigh and began to pull Cedric in the direction of the scarlet steam engine.

It hadn't taken them long to find their usual compartment, in the near center of the train. Once they'd gotten on board the steam engine and through the mass of Hogwarts students that had already begun to swarm in the corridors and into the car they always found seating in, they were able to pull the door shut, giving themselves privacy from their classmates, and sit down close to the window. As they were the only ones in the space, Cass felt comfortable to spread out, stretching her legs alongside the seat she had taken claim of, Cedric seating himself on the other side of the compartment.

Cass took to numbly playing with the shade that hung over the window, staring blankly out of the window at the bustling wizarding platform outside. The devastatingly urgent desire to tell Cedric what she had heard seemed to have dissipated in the time that had passed since her godparents had left. Reginald's words seemed to be ringing in her head, shaking around throughout her mind and having an impact on her that she couldn't qutie figure out.

 _He was a very good friend of your mother's._

 _He was a supporter of You-Know-Who._

 _His sanity has never wavered._

 _I was his friend._

 _Do not try to go looking for Black._

 _He was a good friend of your mother's._

All of it seemed to ring through her head, ringing louder and louder the longer she thought about them. Reality seemed as if it was becoming further and further away as she thought about it, her mind going to a distant place she couldn't quite detect.

She couldn't even hear Cedric trying to get her attention until he'd leaned forward and grabbed hold of her wrist, pulling her hand away from the cord that she was holding onto. She barely even noticed the spaces between her fingers being filled with his; her mind was still off in a far away place, somewhere far enough away that his repeating her name sounded like a distant echo, like it wasn't real.

"Cassi." The word seemed far away, too distant to be heard. Cedric had moved from where he was sitting to kneel in front of her, the hand that wasn't already linked with hers settling onto her arm. Cass didn't reply, and Cedric shook her gently, causing her to finally jump back from her thoughts and give him a startled and confused look, one that mirrored his except for one aspect: concern. "Are you okay?"

"I…" Her voice trailed off, and Cass blinked several times, trying to pull herself out of her mind completely. "I don't know."

"What is it?"

She licked her lips and finally met his eyes, the usual clear blue irises becoming clouded. "Sirius Black." She managed to choke out, noticing the way recognition flashed through his eyes. "You do know." The words slipped out in barely even a whisper, but it was obvious that he'd heard her.

"I don't know much," he admitted. Cass sat up, tucking her legs underneath of her and studying Cedric's face carefully. "All I know is what my father's told me and what's in the papers."

"What do you know?" The desperation in her voice sounded pathetic even to her own ears, but there was no way to control it.

"He's a mass murderer whose broken out of Azkaban, nobody can figure out where he is." Cedric shrugged. It was only after he'd finished speaking that he saw the strained expression on Cassi's face, panic evident, that he lowered his voice and grabbed hold of her other hand as well. "Cass...what's going on?"

The whole of it seemed to tumble out in a rush, and Cass couldn't be sure if she was actually saying words or if everything she was saying was slurring together too quickly to be comprehensible. From the little she had been able to wheedle out of her godfather about what he had done, to the man's apparent friendship with her mother, to the idea of him having escaped to find Harry and herself. Somehow, it seemed equally horrifying and inane to be admitted out loud to somebody else. She couldn't be sure which part of that made her feel worse.

Silence fell inside of the small compartment after she was finished, and the sounds of chattering and laughing young witches and wizards, and their guardians yelling after them from all sides seemed to be echoing in a hollow all around.

Cedric took a deep breath and opened his mouth, no doubt preparing to say something to attempt to ease her mind, when the compartment door slid opened with such volume that the idea of it having been ripped out of its tracks may have been plausible.

Though the noise made both Cass and Cedric jump, neither of them pulled away from each other as they turned their attention towards the newcomers.

"Oh! Look at that, Eric, we've interrupted a _moment_." Gemma Farley, a Ravenclaw in their year and a close friend of Cassi, said in an overly dramatic whisper. She leaned close to the boy who had appeared with her, Eric Murley-a Hufflepuff-as she did so, and he rolled his eyes before stepping inside after her and shutting the door again; much more quietly than Gemma had opened it.

Cass rolled her eyes and bit back a laugh at the look on Cedric's face as he regarded their friends. All tension seemed to dissipate from the car as Gemma and Eric settled in on the side of the seating that Cedric had vacated, and he moved to sit next to Cassiopeia. His arm draped across one of her legs casually, keeping hold of one of her hands and giving it a squeeze. Cassi didn't show any sign of the meaning she could feel behind it; they'd talk more about what had happened later.

"So, tell us." Gemma started, stretching her legs out in front of her in the space between benches, clearly not paying any attention to how much space she took up. "What steamy moment did we just interrupt?"

Eric groaned from her left, and Gemma shrugged nonchalantly, looking towards Cass and Cedric curiously. "What? I'm serious!"

"Nothing." Cassi said, rolling her own eyes good naturedly. "We were only talking."

" _Only talking_." Gemma scoffed, sage eyes rolling upwards as she tucked a blonde strand of hair behind her ear. "As if that's believable to anyone anymore."

"Do you have to every single time we see them?" Eric asked accusingly, rolling his head onto his shoulder to look over at her. "You'd think you were a guy, the way you go on around sex with those two."

Cass bit down on her lip to keep from laughing as Gemma sat up from her leaning position, the two beginning to bicker as they always did. It was sitting there, watching her friends argue that Cassi fondly remembered how much she had missed the four of them being together. Of course, she had a very special relationship with Harry and the Weasley twins, but there was something about the three people she'd come to Hogwarts with that was different.

The four of them seemed to contrast and compliment each other well, in a way; Cass and her dark features and rebellious, joking nature mirrored Gemma's nearly to a tee, all except for her Ravenclaw friend's appearance being much lighter. It was the same with the boys; where Cedric was always light, Eric's hair was nearly as dark as Cassi's, though his eyes were much darker. He'd always been the one who took things the most seriously, something in which Gemma found particularly hilarious, as she was the one in the House who was notorious for having a reputation as being too serious for their own good.

And yet, they worked. Cass really didn't think she could have found better people to come to Hogwarts with that first year, when she'd only been eleven and scared out of her mind, despite the constant reassurances she'd had from both Mary and Reginald.

It was in that way that the journey to Hogwarts started that night, with Gemma and Eric bickering back and forth with each other and Cassiopeia and Cedric using the chance to joke with each other about other things, catching up on what they'd missed in the few weeks since they'd seen each other face to face. Neither of them was willing to get into the topic of Sirius Black around their friends.

The bickering subsided a bit within the hour of the journey, at which point Gemma turned her attention to the sole lion and her summer. With that, the four of them began to chatter amongst themselves, catching up altogether and joking with each other as they often did when in each other's company. When the trolley arrived, all four of them gathered as much as they pleased, Gemma getting more than any of the others combined as she always did, claiming she would need more after the feast anyways and it was best to stock up early.

It wasn't until the train came to a slow but sudden stop that all noise inside of the compartment came to a close, the laughter ceasing as soon as the train stopped. Lights throughout the corridor flickered viciously and rapidly until darkness fell over them all. Cass couldn't see anything inside the train, or outside for that matter; if it hadn't been for Cedric's body right next to hers, she wasn't sure she'd be certain she wasn't alone. Especially not when a cold chill seemed to spread throughout the entire train, seeping into her bones and causing tiny bumps to prick up all over her skin.

"Have we broken down?" Gemma's voice carried throughout the car, much too loud in the silence, though far quieter than it usually was.

"Dunno." Eric mumbled, his voice sounding incredibly faint.

"Maybe I should check in the-"

"Ced, no." Cassi's voice shook as she gripped a tighter hold onto his hand, dread falling over her and seeping into her as deeply as the cold had. "It's Dementors."

* * *

 **A/N: I will apologize for what I'm sure is horrendous quality in terms of this chapter. Classes started again for me recently and I've been trying to figure out how to balance sleep and writing when I'm home. But I do promise to continue updating as regularly as I can! Once again I'd like to thank everyone for the feedback I've gotten on this, it's really kept me motivated. And as always, reviews are always welcomed and appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am so, so, so very sorry for the wait for this update! It had absolutely been my intention to get this chapter posted as scheduled, but with the tragic passing of Alan Rickman along with a few other things, mostly classes, threw that for a loop. But I am back now and will hopefully be back on track with updating regularly! As always, I'd like to thank everyone for all of the feedback I've received so far with this, and would especially like to thank my dear CaelynAilene for helping to push me through finishing this chapter up! And always, reviews and feedback are incredibly appreciated!**

* * *

The Hogwarts Express had never felt so lifeless. All light had dissipated, from the lanterns and the setting sun alike, leaving every inch of the train and the mountains outside in total blackness. Every window in the train had iced over, and the racks above every compartment's seats was thoroughly frozen to the touch. Silence had fallen, and the only sounds to be heard were those of the shallower breathing of the four teenagers that filled the compartment. The joyous atmosphere had since vanished in the few minutes that had passed since the train had come to an abrupt stop.

" _Dementors_?" Gemma's voice rang through the space in the darkness, small and quiet. "What would Dementors be doing on the train?"

"What a fantastic question, why don't you-"

"Oh, shut up, Eric, it was just a-"

The chill that had reached throughout the train seeped into the whole of their bodies just as suddenly as if they'd been Stunned. Dread and despair spread through them, forging paths through their bloodstreams and leaving every bone, every nerve in their bodies feeling as if all of the happiness had disappeared from the world. Leaving all of them feeling as if they would rather die then and there, then suffer the agony of the dark despair another minute.

Bitter arguments over words seemed pointless in comparison.

Never had Cassiopeia felt sorrow quite like this before. It consumed and soared through her whole body, drenching her in cold sweat and glazing her eyes over. She was certain that she could hear her heartbeat in her ears, rapid and hammering, sounding just as frightened as she did devastated.

And she could hear the sobbing.

 _Oh, Merlin, the sobbing…_

A faint glow from the corridor drew attention away from the pitch black, horror and dread filled compartment; three pairs of invisible eyes turned towards the sight, and soon it passed their door. It was bright and vivid, and illuminated the whole of everything surrounding in its wake as it passed. Just as quickly as it came, it left. Just as quickly as it left, the lanterns flickered magically and suddenly back to life, offering the senses of warmth and life once again as the train began continued to move.

Across the small space, the badger and the eagle both let out sighs of relief as their wits came back to them. Cedric let his tense grip on Cassi's hand loosen a bit as relief spread through him as quickly as the depression had. Three pairs of eyes turned their gazes onto Cass expectantly, no doubt waiting for the snide comment she would make to brush the whole thing off.

But she wasn't smirking. She wasn't laughing. She wasn't doing much of anything, aside from staring down at the ground in front of her. The dark mass of curls on her head had matted themselves to the back of her neck and her skin was entirely covered in small, raised bumps that wouldn't go away. Even if her eyes hadn't remained glazed, it was likely that she wouldn't be focusing on anything in front of her at all.

A warm hand landed gently on the back of her neck, underneath the masses of curls. It was a sharp contrast to the biting chill that had taken over her entire being and she couldn't help jumping as the feel of it snapped her back into reality. Blinking rapidly, Cass looked up from the ground in front of her and up into two concerned pairs of eyes staring at her. "What?" She asked, eyebrows pulling together in confusion.

"What?" Gemma exclaimed incredulously, her tone much shriller than it could or should have been. Eric slapped the back of his hand lightly on her arm and shook his head at her when she looked over at him.

"We were starting to think you were having some sort of fit or something," Eric offered in a far less critical tone, shooting a look in the direction of the Ravenclaw, who promptly rolled her eyes but remained silent.

Cedric continued to massage the back of her neck. She could feel her muscles beginning to ease from the feel of his fingertips, and she let her body lean back against him weakly. Cedric pressed a kiss to the side of her head and let his arm fall back around her shoulders, his hand reaching down to hers.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly, looking down towards her. Gemma and Eric were both staring at them curiously.

Cassiopeia shook her head, still attempting to wrap her own head around whatever it was that had happened. "I…" Dark eyebrows drew together again as she turned her gaze from Cedric towards Gemma. "Were you crying?"

 _So much sobbing…_

A confused and concerned glance passed between Gemma and both badgers.

"No." Gemma shook her head, "Nobody was crying, Cass."

Cassiopeia muttered something incomprehensible under her breath and shook her head again, hoping to help make sense of whatever it was that had happened, to no avail.

 _Someone had been sobbing._

Shutting her eyes momentarily, Cassi let out a deep breath and rose abruptly from where she'd been sitting. Her stance was shaky for a moment, and she could feel Cedric's hands immediately on her waist to steady her. She gripped onto the side of the door leading into the corridor and mumbled something about needing some air before pushing through and out of the corridor.

She hadn't given much thought to where she was going; all she needed was to be away from whatever had just happened, if only for a moment. In order to stay standing, she'd had to lean partially against the brief space of wall separating the compartments so she could attempt to catch her breath. The sound of the door she'd just let slide shut reopening barely registered in her mind, and it took familiar warm fingers wrapping around her wrist for her to completely come back to where she was.

Her blue eyes were clouded as she looked towards the boy who'd taken hold of her, and it took everything inside of her not to completely collapse both physically and emotionally then and there.

"Are you okay?" Cedric repeated, in a softer voice than before, the same note of concern still evident.

"Someone was crying." She whispered, the words small but hanging between them none the less. "I know, you didn't hear it...but I did."

"Who do you think it was?"

Cassi blinked in surprise before she could help it, "You believe me?"

A sad, bemused laugh escaped him and he shook his head, "I felt the presence those things had too. Just because I couldn't hear what you heard doesn't mean it wasn't there."

She couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped her, along with the expression that came across her face. Maybe she hadn't really gone mad within the time it had taken for the Dementors to come onto the train and then just as quickly disappear. Maybe someone, somewhere had been sobbing like she'd heard.

Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't truly beginning to lose her mind the way she had felt ever since first hearing the name Sirius Black.

"Do you want to go back?" His voice pulled her back, "They're both worried." He didn't have to say it for her to hear the excluded piece of his statement; he was worried, too.

 _It's the first night back with them, McKinnon. Suck it up. They're your mates._

Despite the madness Cass still felt churning within her, the way it had been for far too many hours already, she nodded.

* * *

Not even an hour passed between the time of the sudden visit from the Dementors before the Hogwarts Express came to a stop yet again, this time as planned. The train pulled into the station of Hogsmeade and came to its familiar, slow and rumbling stop. Doors throughout the train opened as students anxiously hurried out of their cars and into the corridors, shoving through the hoards of students, all of whom were attempting to make their way onto the platform as quickly as possible.

Nearly as soon as the train had come to a stop, Gemma had risen from where she'd been seated, rolling her eyes and sighing repeatedly in a very over-dramatic fashion at a story Eric was telling, and had rushed out of the compartment without so much as a glance back. As she did so, the remaining three shared a look and an eyeroll. It was typical, really, for their Ravneclaw friend to rush off for one reason or another. Gemma never could stay in one situation for too long; they all had the ongoing joke that she would explode if she ever tried.

Soon after Gemma disappeared, Eric followed in suit, muttering something under his breath and nodding in agreement to meet Cedric inside the Great Hall as he did so. Hands twisted together as usual, Cedric and Cassiopeia followed their friends examples quickly, pushing out of their compartment and into the large groups of fellow Hogwarts students headed off the train and towards the carriages that would lead them to the castle.

The platform of Hogsmeade had always had a familiar, welcoming hum about it, and it was something that Cassi reveled in as she stepped out into the magical air that always reminded her of returning home. Stepping onto the platform, she came to a stop and let her eyelids flutter shut, head falling back as she breathed in deeply. Cedric smiled in a bemused way as he watched her, drawing in a deep breath of his own before the pair began to head of in the direction leading towards the horseless carriages.

A fresh collection of carriages arrived, all coming to a halt for students to climb aboard, as they arrived. Cedric stood aside and allowed for Cassiopeia to climb in first before following in suit, promptly sitting next to her against one side of the carriage as to make more room for the students who were quickly approaching the carriages.

From where they were seated, it was easy to see the groups of students being parted, shouting out expletives or offering glares as two figures rushed through them towards their carriage. Cedric watched the situation warily, trying to determine the cause; Cass, on the other hand, felt a grin spread across her face as her eyes settled upon two familiar, bright crimson heads that came rushing towards them. Just as quickly as she saw them, they were leaping onto the carriage, causing it to wobble uneasily for a moment before settling with the added weight.

"Quite an entrance there, boys," she lilted before she could help herself, the laughter in her tone evident. Fred and George both shared a look, smirking, before shrugging and turning back to look towards her as the carriage began to take off.

"Had to find some way to get your attention, didn't we? You never came to see us!" Fred said, the joke clear in his voice despite the offended look he was attempting to pass off as serious.

"You do realize you get me all night at the feast, don't you?" She asked, an eyebrow raise. "Not to mention the lions party in the common room afterwards."

"Oi!" George exclaimed, shooting a look towards Cedric, who promptly began to trace patterns onto Cassiopeia's palm with his finger and feigned deafness.

Cass rolled her eyes, but ignored the dig, fighting the urge to laugh at Cedric's obvious tactic to avoid being pulled into the conversation with the twins.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. "I didn't realize it was a secret, what with how you two boast about it with Lee the first day of classes _every_ year."

The twins shared a grin before shrugging.

"Got to induce the first years to Gryffindor somehow," Fred stated, the grin on his face not wavering even slightly.

"The firsties always go off to bed when Perfect Percy orders them too." George said, rolling his eyes, "Now that he's got that bloody badge they're bound to be asleep before they're even shown the common room."

"We could always just start shipping the first years off with Harry," Cass said, scrunching her nose up as she shrugged. She was joking, of course. They all were, for the most part. "Surely that would induce them into the House quick enough."

Cedric snorted a quiet laugh and continued to run his finger across the palm of her hand.

"Not a bad idea," Fred said thoughtfully, nodding and glancing towards George for approval.

"No, no, we couldn't do that." George disagreed, shaking his head, "He'll teach them how to make the Quidditch team first year. Can't risk our positions."

Cass looked over at Cedric, who glanced up from her hand to meet her eyes. She shook her head, "You see what I put up with?" She asked, the joke in her voice evident.

"How awful," he replied with a laugh, the both of them promptly ignoring the feigned offended looks currently being shot their way.

After a moment, George opened his mouth, no doubt preparing a retort of some sort. Just as he did so, Cedric nodded to something behind them, and Cassiopeia turned to see the castle looming in front of her. It looked as if each window was lit up, giving it the same welcoming sense it had been offering to her for six years.

The carriage came to a stop, and the four piled out and onto the cobblestone walkway leading to the castle itself from the gates.

"'Suppose I should find Eric," Cedric said, glancing around at the swarms of students surrounding them.

The twins had taken off, stopping a few feet away to wait for Cassiopeia, feigning looks of irritation as they eyed her and Cedric before returning to their conversation and soon dissolving back into laughter.

"Goodnight," Cass sighed, looking back up towards her badger with a slight frown creasing her face.

"No, none of that." He insisted, lifting an unruly curl out of her face and attempting to put it behind her ear. "What's a few hours in comparison to the last few weeks?"

It was meant to give her mind some ease, but instead did quite the opposite.

"Those weeks dragged on for ages." She muttered, briefly considering what would happen if she refused to let go of his hand and instead the lions had a Hufflepuff among their midst for the returning feast.

"I'll meet you in the morning," Cedric promised, pressing his lips to her nose for a moment. She scrunched it at the contact. "And during first morning break we can do whatever you want."

"Ced, we still need to-"

"Finish talking? I know." He nodded, "As I said. Whatever you want."

She was reluctant to let him go, but as more and more people continued to pass them, she finally dropped his hand.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She sighed. "I-"

Cedric offered a small smile and pecked her lips before she could finish, "Me too. Goodnight."

Cassiopeia couldn't help the sad frown that creased her features as she watched him disappear into the crowds of people. Shaking it off of her face as best she could, she began to push through the crowds herself, towards her twins.

" _Honestly_ , Ron. You'd think he hadn't just fainted." A bitter and chastising voice came from somewhere behind her just as she was about to meet the twins, and she paused in her steps. She glanced towards Fred and George and gestured for them to continue, mouthing a promise to meet up with them inside. The boys shared a look before nodding her way, disappearing into the masses a moment later.

"I'm _fine_ , Hermione, really." Another voice muttered.

"See? He's fine!"

" _Ron_!"

The voices came closer, and Cassiopeia spun around on her heel, causing the three of them to nearly run into her and to each other as they saw her.

"Cassi!" Hermione exclaimed, the warmth clear in her voice and the smile on her face.

"Hermione," she returned the smile with a nod, exchanged pleasantries with Ron before turning to Harry. "You fainted?"

The question was nearly silent as she asked it, and after a glance between them, Hermione began to step around the older of the two women, "We'll see you inside, Harry." She said quietly, dragging Ron away by the arm and promptly ignoring his confused protests.

With a tired look on his face, Harry nodded and began to walk again. Cass kept her pace slow to keep up with him. Despite the annoyance she'd heard in his tone moments ago, she could also see the worry on his face.

"Are you okay?"

"Someone was screaming." Harry mumbled, barely glancing up at her.

For a moment, she had no idea what he could possibly be talking about.

But then she remembered. The Dementors on the train.

 _The sobbing._

Cass gripped his arm in her hand for a moment before decidedly slipping her arm through the crook in his; for the sake of her balance or his, she wasn't sure. "You heard something, too?" She whispered, glancing around as if to make sure nobody overheard. But nobody was paying them any attention, as they all chattered and laughed and made their way to the castle.

"You heard something?" Harry asked, the relief and curiosity clear in his voice, along with the note of dread.

"Crying." She said vacantly, pulling him to a stop as they reached the castle doors and turning to look at him directly. "Harry. I was hoping to wait until at least after the feast, but now…" She shook her head, trying not to think too much about the coincidence; surely, the fact that the both of them heard things nobody else did during the invasion from the Dementors had nothing to do with the fact that they were both the alleged targets of an escaped murderer. But still, the fact remained; they needed to talk. The sooner the better. "We need to talk."

Harry blinked, confusion shining in green irises for a moment before he nodded, "Yeah, alright. When?"

"Tonight. After the feast...the twins, Lee, they're doing the same as they always do in the common room. I'm sure they expect me to be there, but I can sneak away for a bit." She said hurriedly, glancing around as people passed around them. "I can get to your dormitory easy enough. Nine o'clock?" The words came out as a question, though there really wasn't much of one. It was clear enough, she wasn't prepared to leave it up to much discussion.

Harry looked as if he wanted to question what was going on, but he didn't. Instead, he simply nodded. "Yeah. Nine o'clock."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey, everyone! So, I have a quick disclaimer I wanted to put out there before diving in with this chapter: while I did modify parts of it, I did pull most of the welcome back speech from The Prisoner of Azkaban, to try and keep it as close to it was in the book as possible. That being said, of course I do not claim to own any piece of that text, all rights absolutely reserved to J.K. Rowling. Aside from that, I do apologize for how short this chapter ended up being. And again, a huge thanks for everyone who's offered any sort of feedback or support for this story so far, and another _huge_ thank you to CaelynAilene for helping to keep me writing. And as always, reviews and feedback of the like are absolutely appreciated! **

* * *

Cassiopeia walked into the feast alone. She and Harry had barely made it inside the castle before their very own Head of House had materialized in front of them and steered Harry away. Despite the protest that had built in her throat at the idea of having to separate from Harry, she knew better than to argue against McGonagall. If there was one thing being at Hogwarts had taught her over the years, it was that the feat of coming out of a fight with the woman no worse for wear was incredibly rare.

The Great Hall was, to nobody's surprise, decorated brilliantly for the beginning of the year. There were candles, far too many to count, floating above each of the four House tables; Hogwarts banners hung from the rafters above and, as always, the ceiling was bewitched to look like the night sky. This night it mirrored perfectly, without so much as a cloud in the sky to tarnish the fantastic view of the stars.

This had always been Cassiopeia's favorite feature of the Hall. She had never been able to form even the slightest possible explanation as to why, but night after night when at school she found it nearly impossible not to turn her eyes up towards the skies and become completely lost in their depths. It was something the twins and Lee had all questioned more than once, but there had also come a time when Cass had simply begun to ignore their commentary on the subject altogether.

Gemma was another who'd always questioned it. Of course, to nobody's surprise, including Cassi, it was more of a comical thing to her Ravenclaw friend than anything else. " _You're_ named _after a constellation, for Merlin's sake!_ " She would exclaim every time it became a topic of conversation, " _Hell, you're up in that blasted tower every night even when there is no lesson as it is, what's so damn special about some charmed sky?_ "

These, too, were comments that she had come to ignore. Especially since they often led to arguments between Eric and Gemma. Just as most things did.

Though there were the three who'd taken her strange fascination in stride. Cedric, for one, had simply learned to shrug it off whenever she would take to staring up at the ceiling in the mornings or afternoons when they would eat at the same table. Sometimes he would even look up at the illusioned sky with her. Percy Weasley was almost an unfortunate comrade to the entire situation; despite his relation to the twins, it was an increasingly difficult task for Cass to find it in herself to have the patience for him. Whenever he would catch her blue eyes drifting upwards, he would begin to go onto one of his several, to be expected, lectures about whatever he too could see.

Those were discussions she'd become expert at, simply letting out small noises of agreement every so often while barely paying him any attention otherwise.

Hermione, however, had always been pleasant enough company when it came to the whole thing. Not once had she ever questioned why Cassiopeia had such a fascination with the ceiling, or the true sky, at all. In fact, in her first two years of being at the castle, she had become quite pleasant company to take stargazing in any respect. Her trill commentary could of course become quite a headache after a time, but the older of the two would be lying to say she didn't appreciate the company.

At least she knew of one person who could share her appreciation for the sky.

As Cass found a seat amongst her fellow Gryffindors, her eyes once more drifted up towards the sky. Almost as if on instinct. It was a habit to search for her namesake whenever she found herself given the opportunity, but to her own surprise, she found her eyes landing on another feature in the illusioned sky. A star; one she had always been fascinated by while also being just as equally unimpressed by.

 _Sirius._

Suddenly, it was almost as if all of the blood in her veins had run cold. Her eyes dropped from the vast sky to the empty, golden platters in front of her and it took a far larger amount of willpower than she'd have liked in order to catch her breath again.

"Oi, McKinnon." A quiet voice from somewhere that sounded close to her right spoke. Cass could feel her body jump, and the plate right in front of her rattled slightly. Blinking, Cassi blinked, preparing a remark when her eyes landed on Oliver Wood.

Before she could help it, she felt her body ease. She'd always been fond of Oliver. He was one of the only Gryffindors in her year that she felt comfortable calling a friend. She was on friendly enough terms with the majority of her House. But friendliness and friendship were two very different friends.

"You alright there?" He asked, offering a nearly imperceptible nod as her eyes skimmed around. A sign that nobody else was paying much attention.

"Never better." Cassi managed, forcing an easy grin onto her face.

Oliver looked as if he wanted to say something, but the giant oak doors at the end of the Hall had opened. Dozens of children, all of whom looked incredibly tiny to Cassiopeia, filed in, looking around with both awe and horror on their faces. Blue eyes trailed after them as the mass lead towards the head of the Hall, where the Sorting would take place. Just as quickly as they'd appeared, Cass whipped her head back towards the door in confusion, barely noticing the expletives being muttered as her hair hit George in the face as he and Fred snuck to sit in seats next to hers.

Harry hadn't returned.

Her head snapped back towards the front of the Hall, and once again George let out a rude string of words. She rapidly moved her eyes across the mass of first years, searching for McGonagall. Confusion and a twinge of panic shot through her as she realized she wasn't there.

Until her eyes settled onto the tiny wizard who was currently setting the Sorting Hat onto the stool.

"Professor Flitwick's leading the Sorting this year?" She asked in confusion, gaining no more than an equally confused shrug in response from Oliver.

Despite the strange beginnings to the Sorting, the rest of the annual event seemed to go as normal as any other year. In alphabetical order, each of the first years was called to the chair, where the Hat would decide which House they were to be placed in. To Cassiopeia, the newest and youngest class of Hogwarts seemed smaller in size than any other year she had seen inside the castle. Even so, Gryffindor gained nine new lions, five girls and four boys. Three of them came to the House's table and sat nearby, giving Cassiopeia a strange sense of deja vu as she remembered Harry, Hermione, and Ron's first year.

"Excellent," Fred said with a grin, looking towards his brother and Cass as she finished introducing herself to the first years. "New sacrifices for the fire tonight!"

Three young faces paled instantaneously, eyes growing wide in fear. George and Fred both began to cackle with laughter, and despite the urge she also had to join in, Cass instead rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to either of them." She said to the first years, rolling her eyes. A laugh escaped into her words before she could stop it. "They're kidding."

This also led to the laughter coming from the twins to continue and, still fighting with her own, Cassiopeia sent her elbow into Oliver's back to draw him out of a conversation he'd begun with Angelina. The slight annoyance in his glance as he turned back around was obvious, but Cass promptly ignored it, nodding her head in the directions of the first years. "Tell the young ones what you say about Fred and George."

Oliver's face clouded with annoyance once again, and he shot the twins a look before turning towards the first years. "They're a menace, and nobody should ever take them at what they say." His expression was serious as he spoke. Silence came across the small space for a moment, the twins shaking in silent laughter still, before a new look overcame Oliver. "Unless it comes to Quidditch-"

Cassi couldn't contain her laughter anymore as she watched her friend break into his favorite discussion topic with the three eleven year olds who once again looked frightened, in a much different way.

It didn't take much time after this for silence to fall over the Great Hall once again. Every set of eyes turned towards the Head table, where Albus Dumbledore, the Hogwarts headmaster had just risen. No doubt preparing for his annual beginning of the year speech.

"Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast. As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, ur school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

The mention of the previous dread on the train led to any pleasant feelings Cassiopeia had once had to dissipate. She glanced towards the first years and could clearly see the three of them freeze at the mention of them before turning her eyes back towards the headmaster.

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving. They will not listen to reasoning or pleading, or excuses. I therefore warn each of you not to give them reason to harm you. I and the staff all look to the prefects and our new Head Boy and Head Girl to be certain that no student befouls the Dementors."

Once again, Cass could feel her blood run cold. She had heard her godfather's warning of Dementors coming to Hogwarts. But to hear Dumbledore confirm it seemed to only make it more real. To make the horror she'd felt on the train clear to be a yearly occurrence.

"On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

The new professor rose, and for the second time since entering the feast, Cass sent a plate clattering. Professor Lupin was the same man from the platform. The graying man she had been certain Mary was watching.

"As for our second appointment, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn has retired in order to enjoy the rest of his days days with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say in his place, we will be welcoming Rubeus Hagrid to fill his position, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

Applause erupted in the Gryffindor table, and after giving herself a moment to adjust to her recent, shocking revelation, Cassi joined in vigorously.

"Guess that explains the biting book." Oliver called back towards Cass as the applause began to wind down.

"Biting book?"

"Care of Magical Creatures was assigned the Monster Book of Monsters this year. Ever hear of it?"

She had, in fact. She had seen it first hand, as well, during her trip to Diagon Alley with the Cattermoles' over the holidays. It had almost been a funny sight, when she'd entered the book shop and found the owner looking absolutely miserable at the idea of having to fight another copy of the book out before she managed to promise she didn't plan on needing a copy, as the class wasn't for her.

From memories of the train ride, however, she could remember hearing Cedric and Eric speaking of such books.

She could hear Gemma's jokes already.

Dumbledore's speech finished, a cheerful note in his voice, and suddenly each table in the Hall was filled beautifully with the foods of the feast.

* * *

The back to school feast was nothing short of the excellence it was known to be every year, and as it came to an end, each House began to flood out of the Hall into the great vastness of the Hogwarts castle. For the Gryffindors, that meant walking far across the castle, passing the enchanted staircases in the process, to be sure to get to the portrait of the Fat Lady that would grant them access to the common room.

Fred, George, and Lee all escaped from the Great Hall the moment they were released. They shouted back to Cassiopeia to tell her where they'd be going, and after shouting back the rest of their code to signify understanding, they took off. The code was, of course, only to attempt to fool any nearby teachers or students in other Houses. But it was no secret that they were hurrying to the kitchens to get food and butterbeer for the party that would inevitably begin to take hold in the Gryffindor common room very shortly.

A very strong part of her wanted to chase after them, to go, if for no other reason than the slight possibility of seeing Cedric once more that night. If not, to at least be _with_ the friends she had missed dearly over the summer.

Unfortunately, her reasoning won out this time, reminding her that the time was nearing nine o'clock, and there was a conversation to be had with Harry that she had to get to.

Once the large mass of Hogwarts students had broken up, the trek to the common room was a rather quick one, by the standards of the Hogwarts castle. Percy, at the front of the mass, was shouting incessantly about how he was to be listened to and followed, until eventually a rude shout of frustration from a nearby Gryffindor sent him to finally speak the password. The portrait swung open and the house of the lions piled in.

As she entered the common room once again for the first time in months, Cassiopeia wanted nothing more than to stop and take it all in again. The feeling of being surrounded in the magic of her House once again was almost indefinable. But she couldn't. She knew she couldn't.

Watching as the first years learned their way into the dormitories, Cass slipped past them and up the staircase that would lead to Harry's third year dorm. This staircase was nearly as familiar to her as the stairs leading to her own dormitory every year; she'd lost count of how many times she'd had to go to Fred and George's dormitory for one reason or the other.

It was for that reason that she could remember where the third year Gryffindor boys slept. Cassi paused as she reached the door. Just because she hadn't run into Harry since they'd been separated before the feast didn't mean he was already there.

"Cass?" The voice very well could have been a figment of her imagination. But as she turned, her eyes landed on Harry himself, standing just a step below where she was. "Nine o'clock, right?"

Cass moved, allowing him to step in front of her and open the door to his dormitory. "Right." She said with a nod, stepping in after him, allowing him to shut the door as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting given by fewer lamps being lit.

"So what is it?" Harry's curiosity was obvious as he gestured for her to sit in one of the few armchairs in the room, dropping to sit himself on the bed his trunk had been placed in front of.

"Harry." The words nearly seemed to have escaped her now that the time was here. It was something that wasn't lost on him; especially considering how rare it was for Cassiopeia McKinnon of all people to be at a loss for words. She took a deep breath and licked her lips, "Harry, I need to talk to you about Sirius Black."

The recognition that flashed through his green eyes was obvious, and Cass raised an eyebrow expectantly as she let the words settle into the space between them.

Harry's mouth opened and shut several times. Now it was his turn to not know what to say.

"I know the Ministry believes he's after you." Cassiopeia continued, offering the words for him. "And I think he may be coming for me, too."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey, everyone! So once again, I'd just like to put out the disclaimer that I do not claim to own the dialogue belonging to Peeves at the end of this chapter and did pull it directly from The Prisoner of Azkaban. Other than that, please do enjoy, and as always, reviews or any feedback of the like are of course appreciated!**

* * *

The silence that spread throughout the dormitory was almost deafening. Sounds of excited laughter and pleasant chattering from down below managed to seep into the walls, echoing in an almost haunting way. In the time that she had known him, Cassi had not once ever expected to see the day where she was the reason Harry Potter would come to a loss for words.

In any other situation, she was almost certain that she would find the achievement to be funny.

 _I think he may be coming for me, too._

Not even five minutes had come to pass since Cassiopeia had uttered the words, and yet with every second that passed by, ticking by on the old clock somewhere in the room, it felt as if years were going by. Harry's eyes were blinking repeatedly behind his glasses, but he seemed to have gone into a state of shock-or maybe it was confusion-so far away she was almost convinced she wouldn't be able to reach , his mouth opened, only to promptly snap shut again.

Cass was almost positive she could hear his brain trying to reason with what she'd said. But the silence was getting to be too much, and it wasn't in her nature to sit in these sorts of situations, as it was.

She'd been doing too much of it the last few days as it was.

"The day that the Weasleys got to Diagon Alley, Fred and George set off some sort of explosion." She broke the silence, watching as Harry's eyes snapped back to reality and towards her. "We were in the Leaky Cauldron. I left my room to try and figure out what the noise was, and I overheard my family in their room. Mary was having some sort of fit, and Reginald was talking her down from it….she said something about how you wouldn't be the only person that Sirius Black would benefit from finding. And then Reg promised her I was safe." Cass finally paused, giving herself a moment to catch her breath. She hadn't realized how quickly she'd been speaking, but it seemed to be the only way to really get the words out.

"Why?" Harry's voice rang out, the confusion and concern both evident.

She shook her head, "I don't know. When I asked my godfather about it later, he….what he told me didn't make much sense."

"What did he tell you?"

Cass took a deep breath, reminding herself that this was what she'd wanted, to talk to Harry about this man who had supposedly escaped from Azkaban for the sole purpose of coming after them both. But to tell him that Sirius Black had betrayed his family and had orphaned him suddenly put a very awful, disgusting taste in her mouth and feeling in her stomach.

"Sirius Black was a supporter of You-Know-Who during the war. And he was a traitor. He was responsible for an explosion that killed thirteen people by a single curse, twelve of whom were Muggles….and he was my mother's friend."

She was very aware of how quiet her voice had become. If it wasn't for how obviously silent it was throughout their privacy, Cass wasn't sure that she'd have expected Harry to have heard what she said at all. But judging by the shocked expression that had overcome his face, she was positive that he had.

"I don't know why he'd be after us, Harry." Her voice rose slightly, obviously out of her own will. "But the Dementors on the train and on the grounds are because Minister Fudge believes it's best for the school to be protected, in the event that he shows up on the grounds."

"I don't know why he'd be looking for you, Cass. But I know he wants to kill me." Harry muttered. Five little words, but they were enough to send horror across Cassiopeia's face. _So her suspicions were right._

 _Sirius Black wanted to finish off the Potter line._

"Last night after Mrs. Weasley and Mary sent everyone to bed, Mr. Weasley asked to talk to me." He continued, dropping his eyes towards hands he'd begun to wring together quite stressfully. Cass found herself viciously chewing on the inside of her lip, a habit from nerves she had thought she'd gotten the best of before she'd even started Hogwarts; how wrong she'd been. "And he told me that I shouldn't go off looking for Black just because he's escaped. Like people expect me to go after someone who wants me dead."

Cass very much wanted to remind her young friend that, if one were to look at his last two years at Hogwarts, it wasn't too shocking of a jump to make. Only thirteen, and already he'd developed a much larger reputation for trouble that stretched far beyond simply being the Boy Who Lived.

But now clearly was not the time.

"Reg told me the same thing." She offered, looking towards her friend and catching emerald hues as he looked back up at her. "He said that I should not go looking for Sirius Black, and to not ask Cedric to go looking for me."

"Y'know, they've got the Muggles on the look for him too. He was all over the news all summer. They were saying he'd escaped from prison, but nobody would say where."

"If Mary hadn't been blatantly trying to keep the Muggle news away from me all summer, I'm sure I would know that. I suppose the reasoning for that makes more sense now." Cass sighed, "Clearly he needs to be back in prison sooner rather than later if the Muggles are being asked to look for him, too. But about the Dementors, you said that-"

The sound of the dormitory door opening as Neville Longbottom entered the room cut her sentence short.

"Sorry." Neville said, stopping in the doorway as he noticed the scene in front of him. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

Cassi shook her head, forcing a tight smile onto her face as she glanced back towards the newcomer. "Not to worry, Longbottom. I should be going anyways."

"Really? I can-"

"No, Neville. It's quite okay. I have things to do and a trunk to unpack anyways." She said, rising from the arm chair with a look towards Harry as she stepped around Neville towards the door. "Goodnight."

* * *

 _It was dark; that was the first thing to register inside of her mind. The only source of light was the moon, barely visible beneath the clouds that covered the sky. The sky. It was so dark it nearly looked purple, yet black at the same time. Telling the ever-going stretch of the universe overhead from the outlines of the dark clouds was nearly impossible, even with the faint light shining down towards the ground._

 _And it was cold. Far too cold for a summer's night, even on the chilliest of evenings. Wind rushed from all sides, whipping ebony curls in all directions, hitting her in the face while also rushing out behind her._

 _Any possible chances of determining where she was were practically nonexistent._

 _On the brief occasions that the clouds parted, providing more pure light to shine down, it was possible to see the outlines of trees, tall enough that it strained her eyes to see where they parted at their tops._

 _For a moment, the horrifying thought that this may be some trick played on her by Dementors crossed through her mind._

 _But there was no sobbing. And all confusion aside, she didn't feel nearly as much dread as she had that night on the train when those awful things had managed to seep all of the light out of her body…._

 _A chill shook throughout her body, skin covering itself in thousands of tiny bumps at even just the thought. For a moment, she couldn't help but dreadfully wonder if just thinking of them had drawn them in; if, by the hopeful realization that they weren't around, she had somehow called them. Just as quickly as the thought came, it was gone, soon enough replaced by the rationalization that the chill had more to do with the rapid winds and nearly frigid temperatures than anything else._

 _An invisible crack sounded throughout the open space. She could feel her entirety, body and mind alike, jumping at the sound. Her head whipped in all directions, body spinning on heel in circles several times, trying to determine where the sound had come from._

 _But there was nothing._

 _Somewhere deep in the back of her mind, a quiet voice whispered, reasoning with her. Attempting to tell her that the noise was nothing more than wind, something she had taken to be something far worse. That tiny corner of her mind pleaded, desperate for her to let the noise be and find a way out._

 _Yet, the Gryffindor inside of her protested, just as strongly and as loudly as the McKinnon did. Perhaps it really was nothing more than wind; then, it would be harmless. And there certainly couldn't be anything wrong in searching for something that would end up to be harmless, would there? And, of course, on the off chance that it was something….well, that was what bravery was all about, wasn't it?_

 _And so she continued to search, the voice in her mind's corner and her stubborn need for adventure and to prove herself arguing profusely with each other as she strained to see anything in the darkness of her mystery place._

 _Suddenly, the wind seemed to stop altogether. Maniacal, cruel laughter replaced it, seeming far too loud. Another loud, sharp crack much like the first echoed out, and Cass found herself spinning instinctively towards the noise. This time somehow knowing where it was._

 _And there, in a break in the trees and directly underneath a shaft of moonlight, stood Sirius Black. Ratty, worn Azkaban robes hung loosely at his sides, as did his shaggy hair, not a shade lighter than her own._

 _Grinning at her in the most terrifying way she had ever seen._

* * *

Cassiopeia sat up with a gasp, a sharp scream escaping her lungs before she had so much as properly opened her eyes. Dark curls clung rather stickily to her neck and the edges of her face. She could feel her chest heaving desperately, rapidly. Her lungs burned from the effort that exerted trying to steady her breath again. It took several seconds longer than usual for her to come back to reality. To realize that she was no longer enclosed in darkness and the cold, but instead wrapped in gloriously warm scarlet and golden sheets, in a bed surrounded by matching drapes on all sides.

She was safe.

And then, suddenly, those drapes were viciously pulled apart at the foot of her bed. Breaking her tiny box of safety.

"What the _hell_?" Victoria Frobisher, one of Cassi's dorm mates asked, hands dropping from the edges of her curtains. Behind her, Cass could see the other three girls all watching her, alarmed looks on each of their faces.

"Are you okay?" Another of the girls, Eloise Midgen, spoke up. She was standing over a trunk, moved to sit on top of a bed that Cass could only assume was the one assigned to her.

She hadn't stuck around late enough to come up with the other sixth years.

It took her a moment to pull herself together, to think of a way to answer the question. Was she okay? What had been that awful dream?

 _Had she really had to scream herself awake?_

Drawing in a shaky breath, she nodded. When neither Eloise or Victoria looked convinced, let alone Demelza Robins or Natalie McDonald, Cass pushed her blankets back and forced herself out of her warm cocoon of safety.

"Bad dream is all." She said simply, hoping to let the conversation drop at that. There was nothing she wanted less than to get into the topic of what her mind had just created for her. "Nothing exciting. I'm fine."

Victoria raised an eyebrow at her, and it took several more attempts and assurances that she was okay for any of the girls to let it drop and go back to what they were doing.

Once they had, Cass pulled her own trunk onto her bed and began to rummage through it, pulling out a fresh pair of clothes, robes, along the things she would need for her classes, assembling a pile on her bed before storing her trunk underneath once again.

It didn't take long to prepare for the first day back to class, Cass moving throughout the dorm and around the other girls with ease. Thankfully, after five years with the five of them sharing a dorm, none of them felt uncomfortable towards one another. They'd learned more about each other than they'd particularly care to admit, though this morning, it was something that Cass most certainly took advantage of; all four of her dorm mates had let the way in which she had woken up drop. She didn't bring it up again, and neither did any of them.

Finally prepared completely, Cass grabbed her bag and slipped out of the dormitory and down the staircase. Gryffindors of all ages mulled in the common room, waiting for friends or procrastinating the beginning of classes altogether (Lee in particular was apart of this group). Typically, Cass would find herself stopping to chat for a moment, but not this morning. She was once again desperately wishing for the very same person she'd been impatiently waiting for the last two days.

 _Cedric._

She pushed through the portrait hole and navigated the staircases down with ease, headed to the end of second story corridor, nearest to the easiest shortcut to the Hall; their usual meeting place. The familiar image of bright yellow against black emblazoned onto his robes, although faint, came into view as she entered the hall. A familiar wave of comfort rushed through her, a smile breaking out across her face. Footsteps quickened as she continued towards him, the two practically colliding as she reached him.

"Good morning." A pleasant laugh came with Cedric's words as he wrapped an arm around her side. "Is this going to be a usual thing this year?"

Cassiopeia blinked, nearly so completely overwhelmed by the relief of seeing him that she couldn't make sense of what he was saying.

And then it came to her.

"I suppose that depends on how opposed you are to me constantly running straight into you." She replied, the corner of her mouth quirking up once again.

She was almost certain that he had said something else, but what it was she had no idea. The pure relief and sense of calm that had utterly washed over her the moment she'd found him was still rushing throughout her body. It was a feeling she wanted to take a moment to relish in, for at least another moment. Six years hadn't been long enough for the effect that Cedric had always managed to have on her to completely set in. Even before their relationship had changed from friendship into what it was, nothing and nobody else had ever been able to put her quite so at ease.

Realizing he was watching her, Cass blinked again, this time in confusion.

So he had been talking.

"Breakfast." He offered, another laugh in his voice, though Cass could also hear the note of concern that had made its way into his tone.

 _You can't possibly be surprised by that. Just look at how yesterday went._

"Right." She nodded, twisting out of his grasp and instead taking his hand as she began to lead him towards the shortcut to the Hall. "Lots of it, I'm starved."

"Did Fred and George keep all of the food from you last night?"

"Not intentionally. I skipped out on the party." Cass shrugged vacantly, maneuvering the pair around corners and suits of armor towards the tapestry which hid the hidden staircase downstairs.

"You didn't go?" The shock was obvious in Cedric's voice, and silently Cass cursed herself for mentioning it at all. "Why not?"

"I was still feeling out of it from the Dementors after dinner last night. It was better for everyone that I just went to bed."

"Are you feeling better now?"

For a moment, she didn't respond, choosing instead to continue directing them around the castle towards the Great Hall. They were nearly to the end of the staircase behind the tapestry, close to the Hall and where breakfast would be, when Cedric stopped walking and Cass was forced to spin around to face him.

She could tell from the way he was watching her that he wanted an answer. That he was concerned. And really, she couldn't blame him; between the vague letter she had sent to everything that had managed to happen in the day since, it was obvious she was acting different. If their situation had been reversed, she would be doing the exact same thing.

"I don't know." The admittance escaped before she could stop it, but she forced herself to continue looking at him despite the unsettling feeling that was rooted into her stomach. "But once I figure it out, I'll let you know."

Cedric looked as if he wanted to oppose somehow, but instead he sighed and offered a nod. Then it was his turn to push through the tapestry at the end of the hidden staircase, pulling the lion along with him.

The Great Hall was not nearly as decorated as it was the night before, and far less crowded when they arrived. Students were scattered around each of the House tables, coming and going at scattered intervals. At the Head table, only Professors Flitwick and Sinstra were seated, looking to be deep in conversation. Cassiopeia scanned her eyes briefly over the entirety of the table, looking for the man she remembered from the train station. The man her godmother had been watching intently.

The man who was to be her newest professor.

But she couldn't find him; she skimmed her eyes over the table once, twice, three times as she and Cedric sat at his House's table where they usually found themselves for breakfast. And still, only two professors remained.

The graying man she had seen wasn't there.

Nothing but the quiet clattering of food and drinks being collected, and the chatter of students with their friends, sounded throughout the large hall as breakfast continued on. Not long after Cedric and Cassiopeia had begun to eat had Eric shown up, looking exhausted and going quickly for the jug containing the coffee that most Hufflepuffs didn't touch. When he wasn't looking, Cass shot a questioning look to Cedric, who offered nothing more than an equally confused shrug in return. The both of them had come to know Eric well enough that he didn't enjoy conversations about such things being brought up unless he himself was the one to initiate the topic.

And this morning, talking seemed to be the very last thing that Eric wanted to do.

"What classes do you start today?" Cass finally spoke up, the silence between the three deafening her as she finished off her pumpkin juice and turned towards Cedric.

Clearing his throat, Cedric reached into his bag and retrieved his timetable. He sat it onto the table between the two of them, and Cass picked it up to read it.

 _Morning, Herbology. First, Defense Against the Dark Arts. After break, Care of Magical Creatures, Advanced. After lunch, Double Potions._

Cass let out a low whistle as she skimmed over it before handing the paper back to him. "We'll have Defense together, at least." She said, pulling her own classes for the day out and handing it over.

 _Morning, free. First, Defense Against the Dark Arts. After Break, Alchemy. After lunch, Transfiguration._

"We'll have Alchemy." Eric finally spoke up, nodding towards Cass as Cedric read over her classes. "And I'll be with Diggory in Hagrid's class, you again with McGonagall. Then we've all got the new Defense experience together, too."

Neither Cass nor Cedric managed to bite back the laughter at the mention of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. It had been a running joke ever since arriving at Hogwarts when they were eleven; they had been through six professors for the subject now, in six years. Rumor had it that the job was cursed. The joke had begun when they were thirteen, when the turban-wearing, stuttering professor by the name of Quirinus Quirrell begun his first year teaching the subject.

The three of them, along with Gemma, had been sitting in the library together when it had begun. It had always been their attempt to study together when they could, if for no other reason than to make sure that Gemma stayed on track. But this day in particular, the Weasley twins had recruited Cassiopeia and Gemma into an experiment, which had included several cloves of garlic and silver crosses being strung across the entire Defense classroom. It had seemed harmless enough. The twins had insisted it would be an experiment, just to see how Quirrell would react to being overwhelmingly exposed to things meant to repel monsters it was rumored he had encountered.

But the experiment had gone wrong, and the overwhelming scent of garlic and the shock from it all had landed their professor in the hospital wing for a week. Which had promptly begun the rumors that he himself was a vampire.

The four of them had been in detention for a month.

Before any of them could get a word in on the subject again, the bell began to toll. The two professors in the front scuttled off, no doubt heading in the directions of their classrooms. Students throughout the Hall began to rise and head off in their respective directions. Eric rose with a sigh, bidding goodbye to Cass as he did so before telling Cedric he would meet him outside later for class.

Cedric hesitated for a moment before looking over towards the Gryffindor. "I'm sorry, I had figured we'd have a break togeth-"

"No, don't apologize." The smile on her face felt forced, but she made sure it remained anyway. "I'll see you in Lupin's room."

"Cass, I do still want to finish talking about everything if you do."

"I do, believe me. If nothing else, we can sneak away after our last classes and find somewhere on the grounds."

"There's nothing else I'd rather do."

A small, but much more genuine, smile appeared on her face. "I know."

The silent agreement passed between them, and Cedric pressed a brief kiss against her lips before rising and heading towards class. And suddenly, Cass was all alone again.

And the relief she had felt was further and further away with every step Cedric took.

* * *

The first day back in classes at Hogwarts seemed to contain more excitement than anyone had expected. Not even an hour after that first breakfast back, Cassiopeia had been surprised in the Gryffindor common room by the arrival of Hermione, who promptly told her that she had walked out of Divination and would not be going back. It was surprising, particularly coming from the girl that Cass had come to expect to do anything and everything to stay in each teacher's good graces. But in a way, it was also hilarious. Hermione's abrupt decision to leave a class seemed so much like something she herself would have done in the past. And in the days that had followed, Cass had found herself enjoying Hermione's company during those hours, often explaining her alchemy lessons. To nobody's surprise, Hermione was fascinated.

But the young Gryffindor's defiant move hadn't been the only excitement to occur on that first day. A fact that Cassiopeia found out that evening at dinner, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione all told her the tale of Draco Malfoy and the Hippogriff. It was a story she heard multiple times alone on that first night; first from the trio, and then from Dean Thomas, and later overheard Draco himself telling a very over-dramatized version on his way to the dungeons after dinner.

When told the true story, Cassiopeia never failed to find it completely hilarious. When overheard from the 'victim' of the situation, it became far more idiotic and pathetic.

In the few weeks that followed, things at Hogwarts seemed to calm down. There were no more shocking escapes from class, or attacks from the creatures Hagrid used in his lessons. Oliver had begun to remind his Quidditch team that they would be practising as soon as he could get McGonagall to agree, much to the dismay and excitement both of the twins and Harry alike. That, too, was something Cass found herself laughing at often, especially when Oliver began to draw up strategy plans in the middle of the common room late at night when people were all very near sleep.

Time had also begun to be easier on Cassiopeia and Cedric. Homework began to pile up all around them, but it was easier to manage, the two of them spending most of their free time in the library. It wasn't ideal by any means, but it was at least some time together. After finally finishing her conversation with Cedric about it all, the news of Sirius Black and his escape was put onto the backburner, and Cass was able to forget about it more and more often. He was no longer the most pivotal piece of her day; the article from weeks past remained buried inside of her trunk underneath her bed. She thought about it less and less.

Professor Lupin wasn't nearly as graying and frayed as she had expected, based on the spare seconds she had seen him at Kings Cross. She'd even dare to say that he was the best Defense professor she'd had in the six years since she had begun Hogwarts, and she wasn't the only one. He was easy to respect, and to learn from, and Cass was among the many who loved both his methods and favored him as a teacher.

Their first class together had, undoubtedly, been a big unnerving. As he'd called roll-the first and only time it was ever necessary-a very obvious pause came across the room as he reached her name. Underneath the desk she shared with Cedric, it was truly a miracle she hadn't managed to snap his hand off with how tightly she was squeezing it; their professor gave her a very curious, nearly sad look after the name 'McKinnon' uttered out of his lips before he continued through the list.

That was the most communication they'd seemed to have had in the three weeks since Hogwarts had started. It was strange, but Cass wouldn't complain. He was a great teacher, that much was obvious. And of course, in classes he would lecture and instruct with her just the same as the rest.

But it was also….different, somehow.

Almost as if he was trying to protect her.

Cassiopeia had almost expected to hear the same reaction had been given to Harry, and was shocked and disappointed to hear it wasn't.

"We've started practising with the Boggarts." Harry told her one night as they left the Great Hall after dinner. "Professor Lupin had us all line up, and we each had a turn to cast this spell to make the fear into something funny-"

" _Riddikulus_." Cass offered, a faint smile crossing her face as Harry nodded.

She had to admit, it was nice to see he was happy about something for a change.

"Not surprisingly, Ron's turned into a giant spider. But it ended up in roller skates." Harry said, jumping onto the staircase Cass had reached just as it began to move. "Hermione didn't get a chance to go, I think she was disappointed by it a bit, but she's hoping that because not everyone got a chance we can convince him to let us go again tomorrow."

"He promised us a day off the studying to do that soon." Cass said, glancing down towards the hundreds of moving staircases below them before looking back up towards her younger friend. "If the Boggart's sticking around long enough for that I'm sure you'll all get another day with it. What did yours turn into?"

She could see both the embarrassment and fear in Harry's eyes as he answered her. "A Dementor."

Cass drew in a sharp breath. She wasn't entirely surprised, but she'd have nearly placed money on having You-Know-Who have appeared in front of Harry given his chance.

"And Lupin, he stepped right in front of me before I could use the spell. He made it go back into the wardrobe."

"What was his?" She asked suddenly, before she could stop herself.

"A moon." Harry said after a moment of silence, as if he'd had to think about it. "Yeah, it was a moon." He said, nodding. "It became a balloon when he charmed it."

Cassiopeia nodded vacantly, preparing another question when the staircase came to a pause. In front of them stood a large mass of Gryffindor students, none of them seeming to move further along.

"Did the password change?" She asked, turning back towards Harry, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. Harry shrugged in response, "I didn't think so."

A voice echoed from the end of the stairs, and green and blue eyes both settled onto Peeves near their portrait, Dumbledore standing next to them.

Suddenly, the usual vicious grin that Peeves wore faded suddenly. Despite the obvious attempts Dumbledore was keeping to keep quiet, Peeves was still loud enough for Harry and Cassiopeia to hear him as his next words echoed loudly throughout the hall. "She doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through landscapes on the fourth floor, sir. Dodging between trees. Crying something dreadful."

Dumbledore said something quietly, and the crowd parted just enough that the two could see the vicious claw marks slashing through the portrait leading to the Gryffindor common room.

Peeves began to speak again, his voice taking on a much different tone, "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, see. Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello, everyone! Sorry for the wait for this chapter, along with the length and speed, and whatnot. But it definitely for a reason, and as of two weeks from today, I will be free to have more time to work on updates! As always, reviews and the like are incredibly appreciated, and please enjoy!**

* * *

" _Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black._ "

A very unpleasantly loud and excited chattering began to spread throughout the lions who had collected in the space, on their way to the common room. _Sirius Black_ , inside the castle? Having gotten past the Dementors? _Trying to break into Gryffindor_?

It was very exciting news, indeed.

Very excited news for everyone who was not Cassiopeia McKinnon, it seemed. The excited babbling of her House seemed to echo and ring strangely in her ears as her pale hands gripped at the banister of the staircase tightly, nearly turning her knuckles transparent as they strained against her skin. Her spectacular view of the hall became very spotty, and the Halloween feast began to churn inside of her stomach unpleasantly. It began to feel impossibly difficult to breathe, and desperately, she shut her eyes and let her body lean forward against the banister for support. Each and every tiny hair on her body began to stand on its end, soon after being followed by gooseflesh and-strangely enough, also sweat-that covered each inch of her skin.

 _It was suddenly very cold._

"Cassi?" The voice was very difficult to hear through the loud throbbing of her blood rushing in her ears. She was too afraid to risk opening her eyes to see who had spoken, for fear of her dinner going over the side of the stairs to the floor, some several hundred feet at the least, below. A careful hand rested on her elbow, and Cassiopeia nearly jumped out of her skin. "Cass," the voice repeated, and somewhere, in the back of her mind she was able to still process thought. _Harry_.

The sound of something very much like shuffling feet began to sound from each direction, and soon enough there were voices behind her once again, words she couldn't quite make out through the ringing in her ears.

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry's voice held a note of panic, and his fingers tightened slightly into her arm. "Professor, I think she's ill. She can't make it all the way back down to the Hall."

A very brief, but altogether too long, beat of silence passed.

"Take her to Madame Pomfrey, Harry." The quiet voice of the headmaster finally said, "Wait for Professor McGonagall. I will send her to be along for you."

There was quiet shuffling next, and a moment later Cass forced her eyes open and her gaze to go in the direction of the hand that remained curled onto her arm.

"Can you walk?" The concern in Harry's voice was obvious, and despite every single nerve in her body that screamed for her not to move at all, she managed to nod. It was a terrifying concept, particularly with the ways her body seemed to be trying to keep her in place. But for all she knew, walking might make her feel better, in some sense at the very least.

Harry lifted her arm and dropped it around his shoulders, putting his own around her middle to try and help support her.

In any other situation, it would have been completely mortifying. Even if it was Harry.

 _But this isn't a normal situation, McKinnon._

Several torturous, drawn out minutes later, the pair managed to make it back to the first floor. Between both Cass and Harry's knowledge of shortcuts, it didn't take nearly as long as it could have. However, with as exhausted as the young witch felt by the time that they got there, it was a miracle they seemed to have arrived at all.

"Madame Pomfrey!" Harry called out as they arrived, loosening his arm slightly as Cass managed to steady herself a bit.

From her quarters, the matron of Hogwarts, Poppy Pomfrey, emerged. Her robe was tied firmly around her into place, visible underneath the cloak that she had quickly thrown over her at the worried call. Dark, graying hair was falling out of the bun she had it tied into on the back of her head as she approached, her face registering shock as she took in the teenagers.

"Good heavens," she whispered, taking hold of Cassiopeia's other hand and steering her towards the nearest bed, at which point Cass gratefully sat down. Pride be damned. "What's happened?"

Harry shot a concerned, questioning look towards Cass. Even with how exhausted and nauseous she still felt, even she could feel the volumes in which that look held; all of the questions he wanted her to answer before offering any sort of answers to the nurse. Very imperceptibly, Cass offered a brief nod with her eyes, grateful that Madame Pomfrey had seemed to turn her attention towards her third year friend.

"I…" The single word pulled out of him slowly, "Sirius Black got into the castle. He tried getting into Gryffindor Tower and the Fat Lady ran off. We were...well, we'd been trying to get into the tower when Professor Dumbledore found out what had happened. He sent everyone to the Great Hall, but Cass...she got ill." Harry explained, shooting several concerned glances towards the older lion in the process.

Madame Pomfrey looked as if she had several questions that she wanted to ask, the shock obvious on her face. It was obvious enough to tell what it was she was trying to understand; it was the same that the rest of the school, certainly, was trying to understand: _how had Sirius Black gotten in?_

Even yet, the nurse didn't let her own surprise her into the way of doing her job. She turned her attention away from Harry and back towards the weakened girl sitting on the bed. "Goodness." She muttered under her breath once again, resting her hand against Cassiopeia's cool and sticky forehead, "What happened?"

The nurse was looking towards Cassi, but the question was obviously intended for either one of them. Something for which Cassiopeia herself was personally grateful; her voice wasn't something she entirely trusted to work yet just yet.

"She got pale...really pale," Harry said, sending another quick glance towards Cass in the process. "And she was swaying back and forth...Oliver thought she was having some sort of fit." Her eyes shot up towards her lightning scarred friend at that; she hadn't noticed Oliver anywhere near them on the stairs at all. "Professor Dumbledore told me to bring her to you."

"And rightfully so!" Madame Pomfrey said, turning her attention back towards the young witch. "I have some questions, child, and then we'll get you some rest." Her attention turned back towards Harry sharply, "You, Mr. Potter, better be back off to the Hall before anyone worries."

"I'm supposed to wait for Professor McGonagall."

A very obviously frustrated, albeit quiet, sigh escaped from Madame Pomfrey, "Very well." She said, nodding towards the empty bed near Cassi's, with only one between them. "You'll wait there."

Harry nodded obediently, and went where he was told, his hands twisting themselves together and then unwinding, before the process began again, over and over.

The matron turned back towards Cassiopeia then, "If you don't feel fit to speak, a simple nod or head shake will do." She instructed, to which Cassi nodded. "Any dizziness?" Nod. "Shivering?" Another nod, "Sweats, at all?" Nod. "Nauseated?" A pause, and then another nod, "Is the nausea still present?" Nod. "Is there anything else that's remained?" She shook her head, "A bit of panic then, I'd imagine." The nurse said quietly, rising and beginning to head towards a nearby cabinet, "We'll get you a bit of Sleeping Draught to help you sleep."

Footsteps began to echo down the hallway towards them, and Cass felt her eyes shoot up towards the door immediately. A fresh wave of dread washed over her; _what if it was him_? Harry cleared his throat quietly where he was, and very slowly, Cass turned her head back towards him.

" _It's okay_ ," he mouthed towards her, and not even a moment later, the Head of Gryffindor House herself stepped in.

Never one to look as if anything had touched her at all, Professor McGonagall somehow managed to hold the same air to her as Cassiopeia had ever known her to have. Her gaze turned in the direction in which she was sitting as she entered, and for a moment, Cass could have sworn she saw the woman's face soften in concern before turning towards Harry, "Well, Mr. Potter. We'd best get you to the Hall."

Harry nodded and rose, sending a reassuring smile towards Cassiopeia before he was gone.

* * *

The whole of the Great Hall was abuzz when he finally arrived; not only Gryffindor House had been brought down for the night, it seemed, as masses much larger than simply the Gryffindors were gathered everywhere. It was obvious that nobody had bothered trying to go to bed, though there were hundreds upon hundreds of plush, purple sleeping bags everywhere.

"Ah. Harry," the familiar, typically unpleasant, voice of Percy sounded from somewhere nearby amidst the noise. "Good." He said as he appeared. Harry wasn't slow to notice the way in which Percy was holding himself amongst the commotion; as a person of importance. "You'd best be finding a sleeping back and a place to sleep, Harry. Lights out will be soon."

Harry nodded solemnly, not bothering to make word of how he didn't plan to get much sleep at all as he reached for a sleeping bag and began to scan the room for any sign of Ron or Hermione.

"Harry?" Another voice called out, quieter than Percy's had been, but loud enough to pull Harry from his concentration and penetrate through the noise in the hall. Turning in the direction of the voice, emerald eyes rested on a familiar Hufflepuff, pushing his way through the students as unintrusively as he could.

"Cedric," Harry's voice sounded distant even in his own ears as he greeted him, unwilling to let his eyes quit looking for his friends.

"I was just wondering if you've seen Cass anywhere." Cedric's voice cut through his concentration yet again, and this time, his words had Harry's full attention, "We've got this meeting place, and she...well, she never showed up. The twins haven't seen her, I was hoping she'd be with you."

There was a glint in Cedric's eyes, clear even through the shockingly dim lighting of the Hall, that Harry knew was concern. A brief pang of guilt shot through his stomach; he had seen the two of them together. But it had never hit him before, quite how connected they must have been.

"Yeah, she was," Harry nodded, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat. "I had to take her to the hospital." He added quietly, another brief pang of guilt hitting him as the concern magnified on Cedric's face.

"W-What happened?" He asked, stumbling over his words as if they suddenly had decided to stop coming, "Is she okay?"

"Madame Pomfrey seemed to think so. And I've yet to hear her be wrong," Harry said, in an attempt at proving some sort of comfort in a particularly awkward conversation. "She...well, I don't know what happened. Peeves told Dumbledore that Black had ran off the Fat Lady off, and she got ill. I heard Madame Pomfrey say it was panic."

Harry couldn't be sure, especially with the dimmed lighting of the Hall, but he could almost be certain that Cedric's face had seemed to pale.

Cedric looked as if he wanted to say something else, when a voice rang out, loud and shrill and familiar. The look on the Hufflepuff's face changed then, and he nodded, "Go on."

Turning, Harry was barely prepared for Hermione, flinging her arms around him.

" _Where were you_?" She hissed into his ear.

"Bloody hell, let him breathe," Ron muttered.

A call for lights out ran throughout the Hall then, by none other than Percy himself, and Harry nodded towards a nearby corner, "C'mon." He muttered, before beginning to unwrap himself from Hermione's grasp, pulling his sleeping back towards the space.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey, guys! Once again, I'm sorry for the wait on another chapter. But I am now on break for the next few months, so I will have more time to be sure to update frequently, so there will definitely be more updates to come soon! And as always, any feedback in the form of reviews and the like are very appreciated, and please enjoy!**

* * *

It didn't take long for the entirety of the Hogwarts ghosts and staff to search the castle for Sirius Black, to no avail. So few hours seemed to pass between the school's entrance to the Great Hall and the end of the school's search for the felon that Harry was still awake to hear the conversation between Percy, Professor Dumbledore, and Professor Snape once it was all over. The Fat Lady would not be returning to her post anytime soon. Sirius Black was not inside the castle. And, it seemed, the Dementors were not very happy with the Headmaster of the school for his refusal to let them inside the castle to aid in the search.

Daylight soon began to draw closer, sunlight shining through the large windows that lit the Hall in a welcoming way. Hundreds upon hundreds of plush, purple sleeping bags became much more visible in the daylight, some filled completely with sleeping bodies, others flat, bodies sitting on top of them. The Prefects had taken turns trading throughout the night, helping to guard the doors when the professors were gone. As night had gotten later, the Head Girl had made the decision that she too needed to rest, and had done her part to convince Percy to do the same. Yet, there he sat stubbornly the next morning, looking much more faded and far less alert than it would ever be expected of Percy Weasley. By his side, across the length of the large space in which the wide oak doors were, was Cedric Diggory.

It was also obvious to note, that Cedric had been awake throughout the hours in which the news of Sirius Black entering the castle had become common knowledge. He had finally, after hours of standing, allowed himself to sink to the floor, but despite how often his eyes tried to let themselves droop closed, his own teenage stubbornness did everything in its power to keep from giving in.

Harry, who had barely managed to get any sleep at all through the night, was slow to notice this as he woke the next morning with the sun. While many students were still fast asleep inside of the warm, purple comfort of their sleeping bags, Hermione was not among them. Instead, she seemed part of the handful of students who had sat on their sleeping bags, with her knees drawn to her chest and was watching Harry intently.

"Hello." He mumbled as he sat up, running a hand through dark hair that refused to ever become anything but disheveled.

"He doesn't look well, does he?" Hermione asked quietly, tilting her head towards the great doors. "Cedric. Almost ill."

It was then that Harry's attention, still sluggish from the few hours of sleep he'd managed, dragged towards the one Prefect he could almost say that he knew well.

"Surely not being allowed to go to the hospital has had something to do with it." Hermione was continuing, and Harry managed to pull his eyes away from the tired view of the Hufflepuff and back towards his friend, who had taken to aimlessly trying to tug her fingers through her wild bush of hair. "He doesn't look like he's slept at all."

"Cass would have a fit if he lost sleep for her." Harry stated, looking up in startled confusion at the look-or rather, glare-that Hermione began to give him, "What?"

" _What_?" She repeated, ignoring Harry's flinch at the quiet shrillness her voice took, "Cassiopeia was the only student not down here last night! She's been alone in that hospital for hours, and with Sirius Black having been out there-"

"But she wasn't alone, Hermione. Madame Pomfrey was with her-"

"Semantics, Harry," she groaned, shaking her head. "Don't tell me you weren't worried, too. Or that you wouldn't be just as worried, had it been you in Cedric's position with one of us."

"But Sirius Black isn't after you and Ron, he's after me."

Another groan escaped from Hermione, followed by the pillow that had been spared for her the night before rushing towards Harry's head. Her aim wasn't quite on par, the plush pillow instead hitting Ron's barely visible head.

A nearly incoherent 'bloody hell' came from Ron's general direction the next instant, and a moment later he was sitting up as well, bright orange hair sticking up in all directions. "What the hell did you throw that at me for?"

"I was throwing it at Harry."

"Why did Harry need a pillow thrown at him?"

"Because, Harry wasn't-"

By the time Hermione had turned her eyes from Ron and back towards Harry's sleeping bag, it was vacant.

"Because Harry disappeared?" Ron mumbled, sliding back into his sleeping bag, "Good to know."

Hermione rolled her eyes and began whipping her head around in all directions, trying to lay eyes on her friend, eventually finding him just as he dropped to the ground next to Cedric.

"Sleep well, did you?" He asked, glancing over at Cedric just as he forced his shut-again eyes to reopen.

"I didn't. Sleep, that is," Cedric said as he ran a hand over his face. "Did you?"

"Not really. 'S beyond me how anyone did."

"D'you think she was alright up there?"

"I think we'd know if she wasn't." Harry sighed, green eyes roaming towards the windows as more sunlight began to carefully stream into the room. "The sun's coming up. Go see her. Tell her everything's alright."

"We aren't to leave until Professor Dumbledore gives his word." The words sounded strained as Cedric spoke them, and Harry got the impression that his mentioning it wasn't the first time that he had considered it in the hours that had come to pass.

Just then, almost as if he'd waited directly outside for the subject to emerge, Dumbledore himself made his way into the hall. His eyes first went to the mass of students in sleeping bags, nearly all of whom were still sleeping, before going to his Head Boy on his right, Cedric and Harry on his left.

"Ah." He said softly, "I take it you've all gotten a good night's rest." His pale, knowing eyes went between the three of them again, drawing a reluctant yawn from each of them in the process. "Off to bed." He said next, causing Cedric and Percy to both blink into surprised alertness. "Don't worry, today there will have been no morning classes to be missed. Thank you for the splendid jobs you have done. Now, off to bed."

The three boys stumbled to standing position, and their headmaster once again looked between them, "Mr. Weasley, I trust that you and Mr. Potter can make it to Professor McGonagall's office together for the new password."

Percy began to nod vigorously before Harry spoke up, "Actually Professor, if it's alright, I'd like to stay with my friends."

"Very well, Harry." Dumbledore said quietly, his attention going between Percy and Cedric once again, "Off you go, boys."

Percy nodded and began to push one of the doors open, barely noticing how Cedric hesitated. "Mr. Diggory, there are several beds in the infirmary." The words were very quiet, and Cedric wasn't sure if he'd really heard them, or if his lack of sleep was beginning to make things up. But one confused look towards his headmaster proved that he had, in fact, heard correctly. Dumbledore offered a slight tilt of his head, and off he went.

* * *

It had been taught, in textbooks and Potions class alike, that there was a very distinct difference between a simple Sleeping Draught and its more complicated brother, the Draught of Living Death. While one would simply help one ease into a pleasantly deep and uninterrupted slumber for a handful of hours, the other is much more potent, sending the drinker to a death-like state of sleep and can only be reversed by another potion, meant to counteract the effects of the original. And yet, despite these differences, it would be difficult to tell much difference when it came to awaking from the effects of one.

Cassiopeia's mind was never one to immediately adjust to the waking hours after sleeping. Most days, it took a moment to collect herself, to completely come to. And yet, waking from a potion intended for helping one sleep changed that completely. The calming effects that the Sleeping Draught given to her eight hours previously had begun to wear off the very second that even a tiny flame inside of her mind began to fan itself awake. All previous anxiety from the night before spread throughout her body the very second she opened her eyes. Whatever good the potion had done her the night before had quickly disappeared.

All previous symptoms from her panic that had resulted from the news that Sirius Black had made it into the castle were gone; she didn't feel nauseous, nor dizzy. For all intents and purposes, her body felt completely fine.

The lighting was different; too bright, too violent to be waking to. There was no comfortable warm glow from the Gryffindor dormitories, giving the morning light its welcoming golden glow of morning to wake to. There were no scarlet curtains to hide inside of, safe in bed, for a few spare moments before reentering the world.

No, instead the sunlight seeped inside too brightly, almost feeling invasive wherever it touched. There were no curtains the color of lion's pride to shelter her. She was completely exposed, too alone.

The panic returned, quick and violent, as she remembered these things. It returned much faster than her memories of anything that happened past hearing those fateful words on the staircase.

" _Right nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black_."

An anxious shriek escaped as she thought of it, pale hands desperately grasping fistfuls of the white sheets wrapped around her body.

All she could think of was the possibility that he had managed to get to her.

Muffled voices rang through the room, pulling Cassiopeia's mind away from the fear running through her for a moment.

 _If he'd gotten her, there wouldn't be voices_.

"She is still sleeping," a familiar female voice floated towards her. The dark mass of curls brushed along her shoulders as she turned her head towards the sound, eyes resting on the tall, oak door that was securely shutting her into the room.

She drew her eyebrows together in confusion for a moment, skimming her eyes around the room to try and come to a conclusion as to where she was. It took a moment, but the rows of singular, empty beds lining both sides of the walls, along with the tall cabinets that all contained a collection of various bottles and vials helped bring the memories of the hour following up to her peaceful slumber back to light.

A relieved sigh escaped her lips as she realized she was safe, before another voice on the other side of the door drew her attention back towards it.

"I won't wake her." This voice, also familiar, but much deeper and more anxious than that of Madame Pomfrey echoed its way through, "Please. I will do nothing but sit there completely silently, if I need to, but I need to see her-"

"Mr. Diggory," the matron sighed. "The events of last evening gave her quite a shock, and the Draught given to help her sleep will be wearing off sooner than later. Without knowing how her mind will react to waking from such a potion after the events that brought her to me, I cannot in good will allow you in to see her. I'm sorry."

"I understand, but-"

"I must be putting her health first before your desire to see her. Once she is awake and I can be certain she will not be sent into another fit, I will tell her you came to see her."

A pause came from the other side of the door, lasting much longer than Cassi would have liked. Cedric's voice, however faint, had sent a wave of calm back through her. The door began to open a moment later, and she took advantage of having been given a bed close by.

"Madame Pomfrey, is that you?" She called out quietly, the vastness of the infirmary gathering the words and allowing them to echo through the door.

The Hogwarts matron appeared in the next second, the doors to the hospital remaining open wide behind her. "You are awake, then." She said as she reentered, and Cassiopeia nodded. "How are you feeling?"

The Gryffindor's eyes flitted back towards the corridor and landed on Cedric, who had taken to standing frozen in the doorway, and the corners of her mouth lifted upwards slightly in his direction before she turned her attention back towards the nurse. "Fine. If anything, a bit hungry."

"Ah. Yes, that's normal," the nurse nodded. "Mr. Diggory, I suppose the school is still waking in the Hall?" She asked, not bothering to look towards the doorway.

Shock spread onto Cedric's face where he stood for a moment at the realization that Madame Pomfrey knew he hadn't left, and Cassiopeia bit back the urge to laugh, even more so when the matron let out an agitated sigh and turned towards him, eyebrows raised, "Well?"

Cedric cleared his throat and began nodding, "Yes, ma'am."

"Very well." Madame Pomfrey said as she took a step away from Cassiopeia's bed, "I will go and find you something to eat. Stay if you wish, Diggory."

Madame Pomfrey disappeared back into her quarters on the other side of the infirmary, and Cedric made his way towards Cassiopeia and found a seat near her bed.

"Anxious to see me, were you?" She asked, an eyebrow raised tauntingly.

Cedric let out a sigh and wrapped his hand around the one she had outstretched towards him. "Well, after a night like that I would think I was going mad if I wasn't worried for you."

"Harry made sure I was safe and sound and well taken care of, no need to worry." She paused a moment, silently debating with herself over if she truly wanted to know. "Did-"

"He isn't in the castle, Cass." Cedric said quietly, running his thumb over the length of hers. "Dumbledore had all the ghosts and the staff looking, and nobody could find him. I heard Snape talking to Dumbledore after lights out had been called, the Dementors wanted to help the search but Dumbledore wouldn't let them into the castle. But he's gone, almost as if he was never here. And from the few things I managed to hear last night, they also found the Fat Lady hiding in a map of Argyllshire up on the second floor, but I don't know that they've managed to restore her yet."

A moment of silence passed between them as she processed everything he'd told her. The castle was safe.

 _But Sirius Black was still out there_.

Before she could say anything else, Madame Pomfrey had returned, with a tray of pumpkin juice and toast with jam. As she reached them, Cedric pulled back to free the space needed to set the tray down.

"Once breakfast is served in the Hall, if you feel better and up to it, by all means go for more substantial food," Pomfrey said as she made sure the tray was secure. "However, for the time being I would like to be sure that your body has truly calmed down enough to keep a simple bit of food down first."

Cassiopeia nodded and offered a small smile of appreciation, "Of course. Thank you." She waited a moment before the nurse retired once again before allowing herself to eat. She watched Cedric carefully as she started in on a piece of toast, frowning as she took in the circles underneath of his eyes and the tired redness that consumed his eyes themselves. "Did you sleep at all?" She asked quietly once she had finished the toast off.

He let out a sigh of defeat that she took to mean that he had expected for her to notice eventually, "Not really. But I had to help keep an eye on things, it was to be expected that there wouldn't be much sleep to be getting."

"Cedric." She said firmly, making sure that he looked at her and the concern that had taken its place in her eyes, "You can't lie to me, you know that. I was perfectly fine up here, you should not have-"

"How was I supposed to have slept, Cass?" He asked, cutting her off and shaking his head. "Tell me how I could have possibly gotten any sleep knowing that the escaped convict your family thinks is coming for you was _inside_ of Hogwarts and could have gotten to you at any moment? He got through of all of the school's protection. He made it past the Dementors. If the Fat Lady had let him in, he'd have been sitting in wait for you and Harry in the common room last night! I don't even want to think about how many Gryffindors he could have attacked just to get through them to get to you. And then to find out you got ill and I couldn't leave that bloody hall to get to you to make sure you weren't alone with a killer on the loose inside of the damned castle." He raked a hand through his hair and shook his head again, "Believe me, if I'd slept, it wouldn't have done me any good. The ifs that could have been reality last night would have just given me nightmares about losing you that I do not ever want to have."

A steady silence fell between them, moments passing at a speed that made it feel as though time had ceased to move altogether. Neither Cass nor Cedric spoke in the minutes following. She stared down at the tray in front of her, feeling as if she had completely frozen over.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly, drawing in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, of course I can't blame you for that. But you have to sleep." She felt his hand wrap around hers again, and a small wave of relief went through her.

"I know." Cedric's voice wasn't much louder than hers when he spoke, "Going back to the dorm to sleep was the only reason Dumbledore let me out of the Hall."

"Then go." She said, shaking her head as she saw his eyes meet hers, "I'll be fine, I promise."

Another few beats of silence passed before Cedric sighed in resignation and stood, pressing a kiss onto Cassiopeia's forehead before she was left in the hospital with only her breakfast for company.

* * *

Cassiopeia was allowed to leave the hospital wing by the early afternoon. It didn't take long to realize that the entire school was still reeling from the news that Sirius Black had come into the castle and managed to escape. She had barely made it halfway to the common room before she'd turned around and began to head in the opposite direction as quickly as she could; the gossip was everywhere, but it only seemed to ring louder in her ears the closer she got to what had already began to be known as ' _the place_ ' that Sirius Black had tried attacking.

Despite the initial news she had received upon leaving the hospital, it seemed that the rest of the day's classes had been cancelled in lieu of the reaction the entirety of Hogwarts had seemed to be having. More than once, Cassi had found herself having to bite her tongue to keep from shouting at various students for laughing about the entire thing.

As if a killer being on the loose inside of their school was some sort of _joke_.

No, going back to Gryffindor Tower was certainly going to be a bad idea.

How ridiculous it was, to think that after having to go to the hospital for a panic attack at even the idea of being close to Sirius Black at all, that going back to the place where that horror filled evening had begun right after being released would be a good idea. All she'd wanted was to go to her dorm, to find the blanket she had hidden inside of her trunk that Reg and Mary had given her the day she'd left for her first year. To wrap herself inside of it and inhale the safe and familiar scent of home…

But it seemed that home was going to have to wait. There was no way in the more fiery pits of Salazar's hell that she could go anywhere near that tower alone. Not when so many of her classmates were so obviously trying to hang about nearby, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Fat Lady's slashed portrait as if Dumbledore had really left it there after discovering it.

She silently made her way through the corridors, barely paying any mind to the students she slid past and shoved through on her way, wanting to put as much distance between herself and the threshold to safety as she could.

 _So much for putting Sirius Black behind her._

A frustrated groan slid out of her lips as she turned a corner, her steps quickening briskly. Truthfully, she had no idea where she was going, and no part of her even considered trying to find any of her friends. She could have, of course, and quite possibly _should_ have, if only to be sure that she wasn't alone. But even as the thought fleetingly passed through her mind, all she could think of to do was keep walking and hope to escape the noises of gossip coming her way in every direction.

She was so trapped inside of her own mind, trying to escape into silence, that when her body ran into something solid, she nearly toppled over onto the ground. A string of muttered curse words came tumbling out of her, even as she felt a hand wrap around her arm to steady her.

"Miss McKinnon," the voice was quiet when it spoke, but it was somehow loud enough to break through the noise that Cassiopeia had been so desperate to ignore. "Are you alright?"

Cassiopeia paused for a moment as she recognized the voice, and she reluctantly raised her eyes to his face.

"Y-Yes, sir." She managed, nodding as the word choked out, "Just a bit distracted. I'm sorry, I should have watched where I was going."

"It happens to the best of us. And nobody can blame you much, given the events of last night." He said gently before gesturing behind him, into his open classroom. It was only then that Cass managed to realize that she had been so distracted that she had walked straight into the room without even giving it much thought, "I've got a pot of tea brewing in my office. You're welcome to join me for a cup if you'd like."

It almost felt too ironic, thinking about how not even a full day had passed since she and Harry had been comparing notes on their experiences with their newest professor. Or rather, Harry's experiences, as she hadn't been slow to notice how he hadn't shared the same interest in getting to know her as he had with her young friend, despite how Lupin's reaction to them both had initially been so similar. It would be selfish to say she wasn't curious about him, and not just for the impression she had gotten that he had also once known her mother.

Mary's reaction to him that day at the station hadn't escaped her memory.

Slowly, she allowed herself to nod, before heading to the office for tea.


	9. Chapter 9

"I'm afraid I only have lancashire at the moment." The words of the professor pulled her out of her awe at the office as she stepped inside. It was obvious the moment she had set foot inside of Lupin's office that any assumptions she'd come to make of him were completely false, but she could very clearly see exactly what Harry was getting at every time they'd spoken. The room was filled with things Cassiopeia had never seen, along with plenty that she had; it was messy, certainly, but in a very neat sort of way.

And it didn't hurt that unlike their last Defense professor, he didn't have portraits upon portraits of himself lining every visible surface.

 _That's funny, Cas._ She thought to herself, _thinking that Lockhart was a teacher._

As her gaze swept over the room, they landed on a wide, glass case lining a side of the room. At first glance, it looked as if it was filled with nothing but smoke, but as she looked closer she was able to make a shape out in the smoke. It had one leg, and from the vague features she could make out, it didn't look very happy.

"Miss McKinnon?" Lupin's voice rang out, causing her to pull her attention away from the creature for a moment. "Will lancashire do?"

"Oh. Yes, thank you. But to be frank with you, I'm not quite picky." She said, watching as her professor nodded before turning back towards the container, "Is this a hinkypunk, sir?"

Lupin finished tending to the tea, setting a cup on the opposite side of his desk for her before flicking his wand and offering a chair to her and settling into his chair, "It is. I plan to use it for my younger students soon. Have you studied them?"

"Yes, sir," she said as she sat down, wrapping her hands around the cup. "Professor Wickenford went over them with us in third year, though we never got a chance to really see one."

"Ah," Lupin nodded. "That one was difficult to come by. Professor Dumbledore was kind enough to help me locate one."

Cassiopeia nodded slowly and took a sip of her tea as she glanced towards the case again.

"I was sorry to hear about your falling ill last night." Her professor's voice pulled her attention back towards him, "I'm glad to see that Madame Pomfrey was able to bring you back to health so quickly."

"Thank you." She said quietly, taking a moment to take another sip of her tea, "Last night had different impacts on everyone, I suppose. Some didn't sleep, some gossiped...I got ill."

"Everyone responds to these sorts of situations in different ways. I'm sure that nobody could blame you."

Cassiopeia nodded, her eyes dropping towards the teacup in her hands for a moment. "Professor?" She asked after a moment of silence, looking back towards Lupin.

"Yes, Miss McKinnon?"

"I was just...I wanted to know if you could tell me anything about Sirius Black."

Professor Lupin's face grayed immediately. He set his own cup of tea down, and there was what felt like a very long moment of silence that stretched between them when it couldn't have possibly been longer than a few minutes at the most.

"I suppose that would depend on what it is that you wish to know."

Cassi blinked in shock. He was willing to discuss Sirius Black, at least in some regard. It was more than could be said for her own family. Of course, Reginald had talked to her. But he hadn't really _told_ her much.

"I'm not sure exactly what it is that I want to know, to be honest. My godfather told me a little, but...nothing that makes much sense. If anything, it's all just very confusing." She admitted quietly, her nerves suddenly overtaking her again.

For a girl who never feared anything, she'd been far too nervous so much more than she ever wanted to be recently.

Professor Lupin only nodded, remaining quiet for a very long moment before bringing himself to say anything. "Miss McKinnon, I don't know what it is that you've been hearing although I'm sure I can imagine. It is not at all my place to try and make sense of any of the choices that this man had made, but I do hope you know that Sirius Black was not always the horror that you and your peers have become accustomed to thinking of when hearing the name."

"Did you know him, sir?"

"I believed that I did, once. A very long time ago, before he became what the world knows him to be now."

"What happened to him?"

The professor was quiet for a very long time after that, so long that the tea had long gone cold. A very heavy weight settled inside of her stomach, and she couldn't help but feel as if she'd asked the wrong thing. When he finally did speak, his voice was quiet.

"I don't know. That is a question I have been asking myself for many years now. The Sirius Black that I knew, when we were children, is a very different version than the man that he became."

Silence filled the room again for a very long moment. The only sounds that filled the office were those of the hinkypunk's tank, and other trinkets throughout the office.

"He knew my mother." She said quietly.

"Yes."

Cassiopeia looked up in shock. "Did you?"

"I did. She was once a very good friend. Words will truly never express how sorry I am that you have never gotten the chance to know her."

"Me too. But I've gotten very lucky. My godparents have been very good to me."

"Yes, I suppose they would, but I am glad to hear that in any case. I'm sure by now they'll have received word of the recent events."

 _Received word_? It had failed to even cross her mind, the possibility of the school informing every student's families of the fact that the convicted and escaped mass murderer from twelve years prior had made his way into the castle. With all the secrecy that Dumbledore was responsible for in the six years she had been a student, the likelihood of even mentioning it to the families at all with so little damage done seemed scarce, at best.

"I haven't written them yet." She said, doing her best to swallow the large lump in her throat at even the thought of Mary's reaction to such news. The few attempts she'd taken to hide her reactions at all in Diagon Alley had been reason enough for Cassiopeia to hate and fear the man who had allegedly been friends with her _mother_ before her death-no, her _murder_. The word was such a hard one to swallow, even after so much time. She could barely remember Marlene McKinnon aside from the pictures in her home and the stories she grew up hearing, but the mere thought of someone taking her mother's life away had kept her up for countless nights.

And now, with a killer on the loose, a killer responsible for betraying Harry Potter's parents no less, a man who had been their _friend_ , it was hard not to let her mind wander to the possibly. To the chance that maybe, there was even just the slightest chance that Sirius Black had gotten to her mother before being arrested, too.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't have had the chance." Professor Lupin said, drawing the young lion's thoughts from her own mind. "It has been my understanding of the matter that the Minister hopes not to work everyone up without reason. Of course, I'm sure that many parents will be owling the school and the Ministry both with their anger of not having been notified immediately while Sirius Black was still in the castle. However, I'm sure that Professor Dumbledore and your Head of House will be coming to a decision of their own about the matter." He paused then, for a moment. "Miss McKinnon, please do not think that I am trying to press my luck where my opinion is not invited, but perhaps you should reach out to your family and allow them the information about the events that happened last night."

Cas opened her mouth, preparing to object desperately, but no sounds came out. Her professor sighed, shaking his head, before taking the chance to continue.

"Yes, I know it is probably the very last thing that you would like to do. However I believe that you are mature enough to realize how dire this situation could have been last night. The school was very lucky. But there is still a killer on the loose, his escaping from Hogwarts does not change that fact. It is not my place to reach out or ask anything of you outside of this classroom, but please consider the thought. Mary and Reginald are very good people. I'm sure that hearing news such as this from you would be much better for them than having to hear it from another source."

There was so much. She was certain that telling Mary and Reg that Sirius Black had been inside the castle, inside of _Hogwarts_ , the one home she had ever known outside of her own, would only lead to her godmother's desperate insistence that she came home. The memory of Mary's fearful, hushed words in the Leaky Cauldron came back to mind even as she thought about it.

 _He could have been coming for her, Reg. Harry Potter is not the only young wizard he'd gain to finding while he's on the loose. If he somehow found out…_

And then her godfather's words came back to her, the memory as clear as if it had only just happened a day ago, and not weeks.

 _He was a good friend of your mother's._

 _Nobody expected this from him._

 _Do not try to go looking for Black._

 _He was a good friend of your mother's._

Her teeth bit down hard onto her bottom lip as it all circled through her mind. No matter what she had tried to get the thoughts that continued to haunt her about the killer out of her mind, they always came back. And every single time that they came back, they returned with more questions. Black having been inside of the school only seemed to make them so much clearer.

He hadn't always been a killer. Professor Lupin had said as much himself.

 _What had happened?_

 _Why had her mother been friends with him?_

 _How did he get into the school?_

 _Why was he coming after Harry?_

 _Why was he coming after her?_

And then there were Mary's words, circling through her head, again and again…

 _If he found out somehow…_

"Professor?" She asked suddenly, shaking her head in such a way that she couldn't be sure that she wasn't trying to get all of the thoughts to shake themselves loose.

Lupin looked up from the fresh cup of tea he was nursing.

"I'm sure it isn't my place to ask, but...well, I've heard the rumors. Is it true that Sirius Black has escaped to come after Harry?"

The change in the professor's demeanor was instant. His already graying features seemed to darken even more, for a moment, his face aging much more than it ever had in class. This version of Professor Lupin was far older than he was in any class, in any lecture, even older than the few instances he had been in the Great Hall for meals.

"It had been speculated." He finally said, a heavy sigh falling from his lips with the words as he looked up towards his student. "Cassiopeia, I don't know what all it is that you have heard about this man, but I must ask that you-"

"My godmother seems to believe he's looking for me, too." She blurted out, pressing her lips tightly against each other as soon as the words were spoken. What was she thinking, admitting something like that? And to a _teacher_. The one teacher she had thoroughly enjoyed every day without fail for the weeks since the year had begun.  
And here she was, spouting out her worrying godmother's superstitions, the secret she had overheard which had been haunting her ever since the thirty first of August.

Silence filled the office once again for several long moments. Cassiopeia could practically hear her heart, thumping away wildly inside of her chest as if desperate to escape.

 _Maybe going home wouldn't be the worst thing._

 _But then, on the same note, if she went home she would be away from Cedric. From the twins, and Oliver, and_ Harry.

She couldn't leave Harry alone. Not with Sirius Black still on the loose.

How naive they'd all been, thinking that once again Hogwarts was _safe_.

"I see." Her professor said finally, his voice taking on a much different note than it had a moment before. It suddenly seemed much more distant, as if his mind was still in another place. "Do you have any idea as to why that might be?"

Dark curls shifted from the back of her neck to her shoulders as she shook her head. "Mary doesn't even know that I heard her say it. But my godfather...he wouldn't tell me much at all about Black, let alone why he would be looking for me. It was easy enough to figure out what he might want with Harry, as horrible and sick as it makes me feel, but...I've been trying to figure it out for weeks, sir. And I can't."

Lupin nodded, avoiding her gaze for what felt like a very long time. "Miss McKinnon, I think that this is something you must speak to your family about. It is not my place."

"Do you know, sir?"

His eyes flitted towards the window. "You may want to be going. I'm sure that you don't want to miss the opportunity to make more of your day than sitting in this dreary office with me."

* * *

 _Aunt Emmeline,_

 _I'm not sure when this will reach you. Mary told me that you've been in Africa. But so much has been happening and I don't have anyone else that I can turn to. Mary and Reg won't tell me anything. No matter what I try to do to ignore what's been going on to enjoy my year, all that I do is end up with more questions and feel even worse._

 _Sirius Black…he got into Hogwarts last night. I know that I need to tell Mary and Reg, but I don't know how to._

 _Please be safe. And get back to me as soon as you can._

 _Much love,_

 _Cassi_

* * *

 **A/N: There's a new chapter for you guys! I'm very sorry for the wait for this chapter, and for its shortness, but it's all for good reason, I can promise! Now the ball will really get rolling and things will start to get really interesting if not more confusing for Cass... But anyways, I hope you guys all enjoyed! As always, reviews and the like are incredibly appreciated. See you soon! x.**


	10. Chapter 10

The news of Sirius Black's break-in spread throughout the school, and in the weeks that followed, it stayed among the highest topics of conversation. Everywhere she turned, it was as if Cassiopeia couldn't escape from it. Sirius Black was everywhere, and he was nowhere.

And it seemed that, as hard as they tried, escaping the topic of Sirius Black was nearly impossible for Cassiopeia and Harry. Everywhere they went, it seemed that their classmates were whispering about it, theorizing as to how any of it happened. It was everywhere.

 _How do you think he got in, past all those Dementors?_

 _What was he looking for?_

 _Where is he now?_

The whispered questions weren't the only things that seemed inescapable; there was plenty of speculation to go along with it all, as well.

Fred and George had managed to catch on fairly quickly to the fact that if they wanted to continue taking bets on the entire ordeal, or to even discuss it, then it was best to do it when not in the company of their McKinnon. It had been kept quiet, how ill she had been on the night of the break-in that was becoming legendary. And it was because of that, by some miracle, that her name was staying relatively out of the gossip. But that wasn't making it any easier to listen to, especially not with how often Harry's name continued to arise. The students of Hogwarts were nothing if not perceptive, and the Boy Who Lived had been building quite the reputation for himself within the last three years. Wherever there was trouble, there was almost certainly going to be Harry.

Away from the twins, it had grown apparent that Cass would not be getting so lucky to be away from the discussion. Certainly not when she was in the company of Gemma. After the first week, she had hoped that even if the rest of the school hadn't let it go, that perhaps her friends would have. And, to their own credit, Cedric and Eric had. Cassiopeia had never been so grateful for their disinterest in gossip in her life.

"And I heard," Gemma's voice rang out in its melodic tone nearly a month after the events. "That he broke in to help avenge against You-Know-Who. Everyone who was against him in the war has children in this school now. Rumor has it, he came back to avenge every single family stood against the Death Eaters back then. _And_ -"

Eric groaned loudly, shutting his Arithmancy book with an audible _snap_ before repeatedly hitting his head on the side of the binding dramatically. "Don't you have _anything_ better to talk about yet?"

The four of them had wandered into the library, towards one of the back corners with plenty of floorspace and a desk early in the afternoon; it was a Friday, one of the last of the season before winter would arrive. Cass, Gemma, and the badgers had all been released of classes early enough in the day that they were all eager to enjoy the freedom while it lasted before exams. For Eric, that had meant hoping to get some studying in before homework completely diminished the weekend. Cedric had offered to help, and despite the knowledge that she should have also been attempting to work, the lion was instead trying to enjoy having a moment to relax while it lasted. But for Gemma, however, a pleasant afternoon nearly always included gossip. If there was one thing they'd all grown to realize over the years, it was that their beloved Ravenclaw could not handle silence.

Which was exactly what happened now, as she continued on as if nobody had spoken. "And, I also heard that he only got into the school because he can transform into a frog, and he impersonated that Longbottom kid's toad to get into the grounds. You know how he's always losing that thing, it actually was kind of genius if you think about it. I wonder if Black was in Ravenclaw when he was in-"

"Oh, for the love of Merlin's saggy left nut, _shut up_. I am actually begging you to shut up." Eric snapped, dropping his books from his head. "I am sick and tired of hearing about that damned break in! And I can nearly guarantee that Diggory and McKinnon feel the same way at this point!" He continued, taking advantage of the fact that Gemma had finally heard him and quit talking. "Not to mention, if Black was a registered Animagus, the Ministry would know what to look for. If he wanted to kill all of the students in Hogwarts aside from the Slytherins, under Dumbledore and with those damned Dementors at every entrance, it would be impossible. And even if he _was_ an unregistered toad, there is nothing to go along with that to say how the portrait in front of the Gryffindor common room was slashed the way that it was."

A stunned silence fell across the group, and Cass and Cedric merely looked at each other in surprise while their blonde-haired Ravenclaw stared at Eric, her mouth opening and shutting like a fish for several moments. It was almost certainly the most that any of them had heard him speak at once, and the speech had absolutely caused Gemma to fall silent and speechless for the first time since any of them had met her.

"Thank you," Eric muttered after a moment, pulling his book back onto his lap and beginning to flip through it to find where he had been. "Finally some peace and quiet."

Cassiopeia bit down on her lip to keep from grinning at the incident, or from doing something that was sure to make Eric uncomfortable. She could have hugged him for getting the topic of Sirius Black to quit, if only for a moment. In any other circumstance, she would have, if for no other reason than to try getting back to her old self. The one who jokingly caused her friends discomfort. But with the extent to which he'd just gone, somehow, she resisted.

It was the first and potentially only time that any of them were ever going to see Gemma Farley silent.

"So," Cass spoke up after a moment, to which Gemma turned her attention from the silent pouting she had been doing, while Eric continued to pore into his book. "Same routine as always before the match tomorrow?"

Life sprung back to life in Gemma's green irises immediately. "Well, obviously." She said, her trademark smile returning into place. "It's tradition, Gryffindor. If we don't hold it up to support our beloved Seeker here, then clearly we are doing something wrong."

Cedric glanced up from Eric's notes then, eyebrows raised slightly with the hint of a grin on his face. Cass winked at him before Gemma began speaking once again.

"Nervous for the first game of the season, Ced?"

"No more than usual," he replied, stretching his legs out on front of him and repositioning to rest on how elbows. "If anything, I'm mostly concerned about who my biggest fan here will be supporting tomorrow."

"Oh, that's _right!_ " Gemma exclaimed, "it's Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff, isn't it? Scarlet and gold against black and yellow...hm. Our dear McKinnon is going to have to choose her loyalty for the kickoff of the season this year."

Cass rolled her eyes at the remarks, "I can be plenty supportive of both, thank you very much."

"And I'm sure that the twins and Lee Jordan will have support covered for the lions anyways," Gemma grinned. "Good thing, too. I'm going to need help keeping _someone_ in the spirit of supporting his house tomorrow."

The lion and her badger both laughed as Eric looked up from his work once again, bickering between him and Gemma breaking out in the next moment. For one fleeting moment, everything felt right. Exactly the way it used to be.

* * *

The morning brought with it an ominous and grey sense of dread. Rain pattered down against the windows, echoing throughout the tower when Cassiopeia finally brought herself to wake up. Gryffindor tower, particularly the dormitory itself, was comfortably cozy. Between the heavy blankets draped across the beds, with the scarlet curtains that surrounded each individually, and the large fire pit that stood in the center of the dorm, the last thing that could be said was that it was cold. And yet, as soon as she took one look out the window once she'd finally begun to move, a chill swept over it.

"Great day for a Quidditch match," she grumbled to herself as she went about preparing. Cass knew well enough, after five years in Hogwarts, that Quidditch was played rain or shine. Hell, there had been instances where they had played with ice sleeting down onto all of them. All it had taken was few charms put onto the viewer posts by the professors and the onlookers had been safe. The only time that she could remember ever having a game cancelled had been the previous year, and even then, weather hadn't been the issue so much as Hermione Granger having been petrified.

She could admit, she held a great deal of respect for the Quidditch players of Hogwarts, particularly the Gryffindor team. While her twins and Harry were not nearly as fanatical about the sport as Oliver, they were dedicated.

If she had ever been capable of flying a broom without embarrassing herself, she was sure that she would be apart of it too.

It didn't take very long after that for her to get ready, pulling her house robes on before tying the Hufflepuff scarf she'd stolen from Cedric years ago into a knot around her neck. There was no hope of doing anything to her unruly mass of black curls, so instead she opted to just let them hang over her shoulders as she slipped her wand into an inside pocket of her robes. Upon assuring that she was ready, Cass left her dorm and made her way into the Common Room, where some of the first years had huddled in front of the fireplace. Creeping past them, she began the long voyage from the Common Room down to the Great Hall.

Reaching the Hall, it came as no surprise that Harry, the twins, and the rest of her House's team was nowhere to be found. It may have been over an hour until game-time, but she knew Oliver well enough to know that he would waste no minute of valuable pre-game time. Cedric seemed to have already headed down to the field as well, after a brief scan across the Hall to look for him. Letting out a sigh as she realized she wouldn't get to wish any of her boys luck before the game, Cass slid onto the bench at the Gryffindor's table next to Hermione.

"Oh, good morning, Cass." She smiled warmly towards the older lion, lifting her head from the book she had propped against a jug of milk.

Cassiopeia returned the gesture, "Ancient Runes are keeping you busy, I suppose?" She asked, reaching for a nearby platter of scones to begin creating her plate of breakfast.

"Oh, yes. It really is a fascinating subject, but with my course load and everything that's been-well, I'm almost always studying anymore."

"You were almost always studying before this year, too. I'll leave you be if it will help. I'm sure you've got some more you want to read through before the game."

Hermione's cheeks burned scarlet for a moment before Cassiopeia grinned, "it's fine, Hermione. Go ahead. We can head over to the field together whenever you're ready to."

A grateful smile pulled at Hermione's lips before she dove her attention back into her book, absentmindedly spooning bites of cereal every now and then. Aside from the faint chattering that filled the Hall, the only noise was the pattering of rain that only seemed to be increasing. With the intensity of the weather, even while still inside, Cassiopeia didn't expect any owls to be arriving with the morning post.

So she was surprised when, weeks after sending Mandra out with a letter for Emmeline, her beautiful tawny came swooping in, landing on the table between platters and dripping with rain water.

"Oh! Good girl, Mandra," she cooed quietly, stroking her affectionately. The owl nipped at her lovingly in return before Cass took the parchment from her leg. As wet as her owl was, the parchment was completely dry; something she was sure was her aunt's doing. A charm of some sort to withstand the weather. She ran a finger over her owl's beak again before Mandra took off, soaring back towards the owlery as Cass unrolled the letter.

 _My dearest star,_

 _I'm sure that this will take longer than I hope to reach you, so I apologize for any delay there must be. I kept Mandra will me, here in Uagadou with me for a few days once she arrived to give her a bit of rest before sending her back to you._

 _As for the break in...the Ministry must be keeping it private. I know that I certainly haven't heard anything about it. Please tell me that you have at least told your family. You know how Mary likes to worry._

 _Darling girl, I'm going to need you to do me a favor. Write back as soon as you have the opportunity, tell me when would be the best time for you to be alone in your common room. It would have to be late at night. Tell me the date, and the time, and wait for me there. Stay near the fire._

 _And my love, do stay safe._

 _Emmeline_

Her eyebrows drew together as she read over the note, multiple times. It was clear enough that the news of the break-in wasn't known prominently, and it wasn't very surprising. She was almost certain that if the Ministry had said anything, that Mary would have insisted on pulling her home. Yes, she had promised her professor she would tell her family. But it was so difficult to find a reason to, knowing how her godmother would react.

And then there was the fact that, from the looks of it, she would be seeing her aunt. Hopefully sooner rather than later. But how would Emmeline be getting into the school?

And why would she need to be staying near the fire?

Despite her confusion, a sense of relief hit her, if only for a moment. Emmeline had always been the closest she'd had to truly having an aunt. She _was_ her aunt, blood or no blood.

She didn't have any blood family. Not anymore.

Cassiopeia was so engrossed in reading the letter, over and over again, obsessing and trying to mentally decide when the best date to see her aunt would be, that she didn't even notice her friend coming up behind her.

Which was why, when Gemma had draped an arm across her shoulders and sat down beside her, the Gryffindor jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"Somebody's jumpy," Gemma remarked, glancing curiously between Cass and the piece of parchment in her hands. "What is that?"

"Just a note from home," Cassiopeia shrugged nonchalantly, tucking it safely into the same pocket as her wand. As she did it, she made a mental note to herself to store it upstairs before heading to the Quidditch pitch.

To her relief, Gemma simply shrugged it off. "I ran into Eric on my way in. He said he's going to meet us. Or, well, _you_. I'm fairly certain he's upset with me again."

" _No_ ," she gasped dramatically. "Whatever did you do now?"

"I just told him that I hope he goes to the locker rooms first to kiss Cedric good luck for you. And then began to stomp away from me as if he didn't appreciate the insinuation."

The lion shook her head with a laugh, glancing towards Hermione, who had taken to blatantly ignoring a recently arrived Ron, who was stuffing food into his face. "We'll be headed down soon if you two would like to join us."

Hermione looked up from her book, and Ron paused, a fresh piece of bacon barely an inch from his mouth.

"Oh, _honestly_ , Ron. Can't you ever eat properly?" Hermione muttered, glancing towards him for a moment. "I would love to, Cassi. But I'd like to take my book back to my dorm first."

Ron had begun mumbling incoherently through mouthfuls of food, trying to finish off his breakfast, completely oblivious to the look that Gemma was giving him from over Cassiopeia's shoulder.

"I'll go up with you," Cass offered. "I have something I want to make sure stays dry as well." She turned back towards Gemma, "you'll be alright waiting down here with Ron for a minute while we run up, right?"

Gemma glanced from Ron to Cassiopeia questioningly for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Of course. Just hurry, we don't want to spend the whole game trying to find Eric."

* * *

By the time they had reached the pitch, the rain was coming down in sleets, so heavy that it was nearly impossible to see even from the ground.

"Oh, I do hope Harry will be alright in this." Hermione worried as they took the long walk to the top of one of the viewer posts.

Thunder rumbled loudly from up above as they climbed, and even though they were still undercover for a moment longer, the rain began pounding down even harder. Gemma shared one look with Cass before she was tugging the hood of her robes over her head, grabbing Ron by the arm to continue guiding him as a means of keeping him from continuing to stop and stare at her. The wind continued to roar loudly, seeming to shake the entire post as it did so, causing them all to stop for a moment in their steps.

Finally, they reached the top and found Eric, taking place around him.

"Took you long enough," he practically had to shout over the wind as Cassiopeia settled on one side of him, Gemma on the other; the third years had taken place on the row right in front of them, beside Neville Longbottom.

"Little Weasley kept stopping," Cass called back, pulling her own hood up in an attempt to prove even a slight big more warmth to herself. "And walking from the castle down here in this weather wasn't exactly a picnic."

"And that would be why I came out here earlier. Well, that and to make sure that Wood hadn't maimed our Seeker to better their chances out in this."

Hard as Cass wanted to attempt to defend her House-mate, she couldn't. "Let's just be happy he had more self control than that."

"What?" Eric shouted over the pounding rain, and Cass simply shook her head. Far down below, barely visible throughout the violent sheets of rain, the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teams were entering the field, mounting their brooms. The game had begun.

Even as high in the air as the entire school was, it was nearly impossible to see what was happening through the rain. Even hearing Lee Jordan's legendary and infamous commentary was nearly impossible with as quick and hard as the wind was blowing past them. It was beginning to seem miraculous that the stands hadn't blown over yet.

Barely an hour had passed before the teams were all lowering to the ground. Robes of scarlet and yellow were barely visible throughout the sheet, and it wasn't until Ron turned a moment later to ask where Hermione was that they noticed she was even missing.

The rain continued beating down, only seeming to get worse the longer it went on.

"Surely they'll postpone the game if it gets any worse than this." Gemma shouted out, completely drenched, just as the rest of them.

"They never postpone Quidditch." Cassiopeia's voice rang back, watching down curiously towards the field. A moment later, Hermione returned, beaming proudly.

Ron and Cass gave her both a curious look as she settled herself in the group once again. Within minutes the game had restarted once again, and both teams were rising into the air once again. The rain had finally come to a steady pace, continuing to come down heavily. The match had barely been restarted for ten minutes before a fresh crack of lightning illuminated the entire field. Ron shouted, and Hermione gasped, and Cassiopeia followed their gaze to see Harry's broom drop before he regained himself.

In the next second, a bright yellow speck began approaching on Harry, and Gemma began screaming. Cass could feel her heart still pounding in her chest for Harry's slip before she allowed herself to let her eyes focus on Cedric, having finally found him. The entire stadium was cheering, and despite the pounding roar of the rain it was easy to hear the cheering. Until it stopped.

It was instant, the unmistakable feeling of illness that spread over Cassi's body as the stadium began to fell silent. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that it was the Dementors; it felt exactly the same as it had on the train. But she felt so terrible, the crying was getting too loud for her to function. Her arm grabbed hold of Eric's arm somehow. Minutes passed slowly, feeling much more like hours before a pure white glow began to spread around the entirety of the pitch. Slowly but surely, humanity began to return to the stands. Cass slowly began to feel back to normal.

Just in time to see Harry's body, as it rushed violently towards the ground at a rapid speed.

* * *

 **A/N: And there we go, a new chapter for you guys! Things will definitely begin moving a big faster now, and this ball is going to really get going as Cassiopeia's sixth year. I'll be back with a new update soon, and as always reviews, feedback, and the like are extremely appreciated! Love you guys! x.**


	11. Chapter 11

Time seemed to have come to a complete halt. The rain continued pelting down hard and fast, but Cassiopeia had gone absolutely numb. It felt as if her heart had stopped in her chest, and the scream that ripped out of her chest wasn't human as she watched the thirteen year old boy she'd come to regard as a brother fall hundreds of feet towards the ground.

Lee Jordan was shouting into the air that Cedric Diggory had caught the Snitch, not having yet noticed that Harry Potter had fallen. It was hard to hear ringing through the storm. Barely a minute had passed before Cedric caught notice of what had happened, and the Snitch went flying out of his hand again as he shot towards the ground on his broom towards Harry's body. Cass barely noticed what he was doing. It was almost as if she had transferred to survival-only mode. Her mind just kept pleading, over and over again. _Not him, not him, please not him…_ A very long moment that felt like years passed before Professor McGonagall took over Lee's post, calling out into the air.

"Everyone return to the castle immediately. _Immediately_."

The near-frozen hands of Eric rested on Cassiopeia's shoulders, trying to direct her towards the stairs, towards the exit, towards the castle. But she had completely frozen. Over her head, Gemma and Eric shared a look, the concern and distress reflecting in both of their expressions towards each other. They were stuck in a silent conversation. None of them noticed that Hermione and Ron had taken off, pushing through the mass of students, on their way closer to Harry.

It took the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw both to direct her out of the stands and into the castle. Masses of students, drenching the stone floors and chattering loudly. Everyone was wondering what the Dementors were doing in the Quidditch pitch. Everyone wanted to know if the Boy Who Lived had fallen to his death.

Despite the large masses of students, the trio somehow managed to make most of the journey back fairly easily. That is, until reaching a blockade made up of gossiping fourth years that kept the final staircase out of reach.

"He won't make it." One was saying, the proud colors of Ravenclaw visible despite how drenched the robes were. "Not from a fall like that. Potter was probably gone before he had even hit the ground, I don't know why they're-"

"Oi!" Gemma shouted as she and Eric attempted to push through the hoards of people, Cassiopeia safely between them. "Why don't the three of you take your obnoxious, incorrect and idiotic gossip elsewhere before I hex you?" She snapped, not noticing the brief look of smug expression that crossed Eric's face as the girls all paused and looked back towards them wide-eyed at Gemma. With the hand was wasn't firmly attached to her Gryffindor, she waved them off. "That's what I thought."

It didn't take long to reach the doors for the infirmary. The tall, lanky form of Ron Weasley was slumped onto the ground, tapping his foot impatiently, dripping a puddle onto the floor. Hermione had taken to pacing the corridor, worrying her nails in the process and leaving her own trail of water with every step she took.

"What is it?" Gemma asked, coming to a halt. "Is he not in there yet?"

"Farley." Eric snapped, "d'you think they'd be here if he wasn't?"

"You're right, Murley, of course you are. How dare I ask a simple question when they're turning the corridor into an imitation of the Black Lake-"

"This bickering is great and all, but maybe now isn't the time." Cassiopeia said, finally speaking for the first time since the incident. She was just as frozen and drenched as they all were, and her words shook despite the spark they still miraculously seemed to have. The raven and the badger both fell silent, two pair of eyes flitting between Cassiopeia and each other. "Yes, I am still here." She continued, her sapphire hues no longer shining as her attention turned towards the younger of her House-mates. "Hermione."

Immediately, Hermione came to a halt, turning in place to look towards the elder students. Despite being soaked to the bone, it was clear that she had been crying. "Oh, _Cas_." She cried, flinging herself at the McKinnon and awkwardly wrapping her arms around her best she could, around the others. "Oh, it's horrible. Madame Pomfrey won't let us in to see him, when Professor Dumbledore got him here he still wasn't awake-"

"Let her breathe, Hermione." Ron mumbled, pushing himself off the ground, a visible puddle where he had been. Eric was quick to remove himself from the lion, knowing she was where she was needed, and though it took several moments of bickering he finally managed to release Gemma's grip as well.

"I'm going to go find Diggory." He said quietly to Cassiopeia, as if speaking in secret. She managed a weak nod in response from the top of Granger's bushy head, and with that, he was gone, the Ravenclaw following along, after a quick, "I love you, I do. But I would like to feel my fingers again at some point today."

* * *

The rain had begun to let up by the time Eric had returned to the front of the castle, but not by much. Water was still rapidly pelting down onto the roof, and it was impossible not to hear the impact the weather had on the lake outside. With his clothes and robes both still soaked completely, the idea of returning into the storm was the opposite of appealing. Still, he had promised to find Cedric, and without Gemma it wouldn't be nearly as annoying if it would still be miserable.

And yet, finding a way to bring himself to leave the warm and _dry_ safety of the castle was impossible.

Save for the teams still down in the pitch, or moreso the locker rooms, the majority of the Hogwarts student body had made their way back to the castle. While most immediately fled to their common rooms to warm up and dry themselves, a far few meandered in far and few between places. Many of them spoke in whispers, but it was easy enough to pick up on what they were talking about.

 _Harry Potter died!_

 _What if it was Sirius Black?_

 _No, you idiot, it was the Dementors._

If he had it his way, the rumors would all stop, and not just for Cassiopeia's sake. For whatever reasons he didn't know, the topic of Sirius Black made her absolutely pale and stiff but aside from that it just wasn't interesting. A criminal was on the loose, the 'Boy Who Lived' may be in danger once again...none of it was new. But of course, having a friend like Gemma made everything too annoying to think about after a day of listening to her obsess.

It didn't help that even in his own common room, the gossip was everywhere. There was a reason he spent so much of his free time in the library. At least there, you were expected to be _quiet._ And strange as it was, McKinnon seemed to feel the same way, increasingly so in the months since returning to Hogwarts. It would be a lie to say none of them worried, but at least Eric knew better than to blatantly ask about it.

Quiet as she had become, she was a lion. Hell hath no fury.

Letting out a heavy sigh, accepting the fact that he would likely be catching a dreadful cold, Eric prepared himself to push through the oak doors and return to the sloppy, soaking grounds. Almost as if on cue, as soon as the choice was made, the doors to the castle opened and the darkened, scarlet robes of the Gryffindor team filled the corridor, rushing towards the stairs. To the hospital, no doubt. Eric paid them them no mind, waiting until they'd gotten out of the way before reaching for the doors.

Just as he prepared to step out, the familiar canary robes of his own house appeared in front of him, just as soaked as his own.

"Oh, thank bloody Merlin." He muttered, wasting no time in allowing Cedric in from the storm. "You're my best friend, mate but I was not looking forward to going back into that."

"Thanks." Cedric muttered, shaking out his hair to attempt drying it out. "Where is she?"

"Hospital. Pomfrey wasn't letting anyone in yet when we got her up there. Granger and the Weasley kid were there, to nobody's surprise. She's with them."

Cedric nodded, peeling his drenched Quidditch robes off, the once dry clothes underneath sufficiently wet from the rain. "I should get up there."

"Ced - is he alive? Potter, was he alive?" Listening to the gossip and caring about it had been one thing, but this was somebody's life. Somebody who his friend cared about.

Cedric stopped abruptly, turning his attention squarely to him. "Yeah. He was alive. Unconscious, and that Nimbus of his took off halfway down...but he was alive when Dumbledore got to him."

* * *

That weekend provided a much appreciated break, for everyone, it seemed. While the gossip continued on throughout the castle, by Saturday afternoon it no longer only involved what had happened at the Quidditch match - something Cassiopeia took great relief in. Madame Pomfrey insisted on keeping Harry in the hospital for the entirety of the weekend, and the McKinnon had taken to visiting him several times a day, regardless of the never-ending company of Ron and Hermione that he seemed to have, or his seemingly constant moping over the unrepairable damage the Whomping Willow had done to his broom.

Cedric had gone with her during one of these trips, and had done nothing but insist on apologizing profusely, saying over and over again that he had done everything he could to have the match considered a forfeit. It wasn't until the ninth time he had brought it up that Cass had decided it was time to leave and allow Harry to rest, with the promise that she would be back after dinner, on her way back to Gryffindor Tower.

Cassiopeia was also taking the cold that Gemma seemed to have gotten from the rain as a blessing. The Ravenclaw spent most of the weekend holed away in her dormitory, and while she was missed, Cass would be lying to say she wasn't appreciative for the break in commentary that she was certain would involve nothing but Harry.

And, despite all she'd done to ignore it, she couldn't help the sting of disappointment she felt when Lupin didn't try to talk to her about the incident at the game the entire weekend, and it certainly wasn't for lack of trying. Everything she had ever heard her godparents tell her about the lack of subtlety she'd inherited from her mother only continued to be proved, as she went out of her way to be sure she walked past his classroom several times each day in the hopes that he would pull her aside and ask how Harry was, at the very least.

How stupid to think that after their talk over tea, that her professor would want anymore to do with her than he had all year; namely, nothing.

Still, somehow between her attempts at attention from her seemingly disappeared professor, and the time she was spending with Harry, the lion had remembered to write back to her aunt. She remained hopeful that Mandra would reach the African school that Emmeline was visiting in time for a chance to speak to her that upcoming Monday evening. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, especially considering her owl had yet to return, but Cassiopeia needed to speak to her, and the sooner the better.

Which was how, when, after dinner on Monday evening, the McKinnon had ended up in an armchair by the fire in Gryffindor tower, staring absentmindedly towards the flames. It was still early, and there were plenty of students still about, but she was determined to stay in place for as long as it would take to find out if this would be the night.

"Oi," a familiar voice said suddenly, causing the McKinnon to, once again, jump out of her skin for a moment.

"Bloody hell, Fred!" She exclaimed once she'd regained herself, "what in the name of Merlin did you sneak up on me for?"

"Sneak up on you?" The Weasley repeated, his grin faltering for a moment. "I've been here. All you've been doing is staring at the fire like it's going to help you pass your end of term exams. And I just have to say, if that's the case, on behalf of my brother and myself, it's very rude for you not to share said secrets."

"Very funny," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "If the fire held a way to pass exams, don't you think we would know by now?"

Fred let out a low whistle, leaning closer to her. "Okay, McKinnon. What's the deal? And you'd better not try telling it's nothing because I would like to think I know you better than that by now."

"I'm waiting for Emmeline," she snapped quietly, glancing around, checking to be sure nobody was looking in their direction. "Okay? Are you happy?"

All she got in return was a blank stare from the ginger. His mouth only continued to open and shut several times like a fish. Clearly, he had been expecting, or at least hoping, for one of her usual snarky retorts and without one Cass was certain it was the first time she'd ever seen him at a loss for words.

"She wants to talk to me about Black," she continued quietly, taking advantage of his silence and the nearby younger years' oblivion. "I might get answers, Fred, you know I need them."

"What do you need me to do?"

A sense of relief she hadn't felt in far too long returned. "I need the common room empty at lights out. Of everyone. She...well, I don't know how she'll be getting here, or really if she's even going to be here tonight," she sighed, shaking her head and raking a hand through her unruly onyx curls. "I'm just hoping it'll be tonight."

"Give me and George an hour. We'll have something to clear this place out in time. And if she doesn't come tonight, we'll do it again when she does."

And with that, Fred was gone, leaving Cassiopeia alone in front of the fire to listen to the chatter of her housemates as the evening faded into the night.

* * *

 **A/N: Another relatively short chapter, I know. I can't make many excuses other than that my classes have really just been killing me and I've had to really focus. However, I have more updates in the works so there will be more to come! Thanks as always for the growing support this is getting, and as always, reviews and the like are always welcome and appreciated! x.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Finally, a new update! Very sorry for the delay, and the brevity of this chapter, but the ball is finally rolling on this again. A special thanks towards my dear aunt (** **CaelynAilene, go check her stuff out!) for practically sitting me down in front of the computer to finally _write_ \- I hope this lives up to your expectations. As always, enjoy, and feedback is always appreciated!**

* * *

Fred Weasley had, once again, remained true to his word. Foot falls bounded up the male staircase in a stride that could only match the height and build of a Weasley and within minutes, a commotion that distinctly reminded McKinnon of that morning in the Leaky Cauldron followed. Shrieking Gryffindor students jumped at the sound, Cassiopeia among them. A puff of smoke that seemed to extinguish all light from the common room for the briefest of moments followed. The fire seemed to flicker, dimming into the sparking embers of a dying flame in the night. And then slowly, but certainly, each lingering member of Gryffindor House begrudgingly made their way to bed.

And then, Cassiopeia was alone, light returning just as quick as it had dissipated.

Stars had begun freckling the night sky, drawing Cassiopeia's attention from the bright burning fire to the window. The autumn's evening chill could be felt by her pale fingertips as they pressed against the glass, cerulean hues looking towards the sky's natural night lights with a curiosity that had never once been sated. It was possible, that her star given name had something to do with the inbred fascination of stars which only seemed to grow as time continued passing.

With ease, her eyes inexplicably landed on Orion, the belt shining brightly in alignment. On several occasions, Cassiopeia had found herself attempting to help Cedric and Gemma - and Harry, once - to distinguish the constellation, to see its shape and marvel at the hunter occupying the beautiful vastness that was the sky. Hard as she tried, never had they been able to truly spot it; Diggory had been kind enough to at least _pretend_ to understand how she saw it, as was Harry. Gemma Farley, on the other hand - truly, to nobody's surprise - had done nothing but roll her eyes and ask her Gryffindor mate to for once in her life, pull her head away from the stars. (She rolled her eyes at this, of course; her name alone left her among the stars, and Gemma's love far surpassed the desperate need she always had to be entertained.)

Quickly as her eyes rested on Orion, they shifted to the dog star. _Sirius_.

Blood running cold into her veins, Cassi suddenly felt very dizzy. Feeling the maroon carpet beneath her feet seem to tilt, just as soon as she had been drawn to the window, the witch made her way back to the couch. The fire burning viciously in the hearth provided enough warmth to remind her that she truly was _safe_ , that nothing could hurt her inside of the castle. The Dementors had been allowed to carefully comb the grounds in the hours when protective wards cast upon the castle could protect the students inside of their devastatingly chilling impact on all things living. Sirius Black may have managed to sneak his way into Hogwarts once before, but he couldn't again. Dumbledore wouldn't allow it.

The silent insistence was challenged by nothing but the stubborn rebellion always prominent in the back of the woman's mind. Nauseating paranoia flooded her thoughts just as quickly as the comfort had come, and Cassiopeia became horrifyingly aware that she was alone in the common room. If Black managed to make his way back in, there would be nothing to stand between him, and her. Nothing to keep him from truly taking her in the ways every adult seemed to believe he would. And if Sirius Black _did_ return, it would be nobody's choice but Cassiopeia's to protect Harry from the man, not in the common room. She became acutely aware that in such an instance she would very likely be the one to die, not the man who had been arrested for twelve years, locked away in Azkaban for mass murder, for taking the lives of not only the Potters, but several Muggles who were just _there_.

No matter what, she needed to protect Harry Potter. She knew, without a doubt, inexplicably, no matter how terrifyingly quick the realization came to her, that if it came time to make such a decision that she would relieve her life to protect the Boy Who Lived.

The sound of cracking pulled her from the storm of agonizing thoughts raging through her mind, eyes settling on the fireplace. Inside the hearth, the fire had begun sparking vigorously, seeming to grow and change. For the briefest of moments Cassiopeia thought that this would be the end all, that searching through the fire would be Black's next ingenious way of breaking into the castle. A fresh wave of nauseating desperation spread through her frame, pupils dilating anxiously as she stared. She wasn't sure what it was she was waiting for; the sunken, haunted eyes of Sirius Black to emerge, for a vicious cackle to escape the flames as the body so obviously deranged from over a decade in prison to emerge?

Whatever it was, none of it amounted to the true result of the fire's transformation. Instead of Sirius Black, the familiar, welcomed face of Emmeline Vance appeared in the flames. Within the flames, her appearance was distorted, and Cassiopeia blinked several times trying to determine if she had truly gone mad. Yet no matter how furiously she blinked, the woman who had always been such an aunt to her remained.

"Star?" Emmeline's voice came from the fireplace, cautious. The flames did nothing to truly demonstrate the beauty that McKinnon never failed to see when the woman was present, but nonetheless, the concern rang true in her eyes as she waited for the young witch to react, "Cassiopeia, love, can you hear me?"

Slowly, Cass nodded, onyx tendrils falling in front of her face as she leaned forward, soon enough sitting on the carpet, face to - well, _face_ \- with the fire. "H-How are you. . .?"

"There's no time for that, my little love. I'm afraid I can't stay as long as I would have liked; the Muggle Prime Minister's train will arrive soon enough and I have promised Fudge that I will see to it that he returns to his home safely. We can't allow him to know his fire has been used, it may cause suspicions that cannot be had." Emmeline said, voice hushed, hurried. "Darling, I need you to tell me what it is that is going on. What has Mary told you? What have you heard, what's been going on?"

Swallowing the large, uncomfortable lump that rose in her throat, Cass raked a shaky hand through thick, knotted hair. Her mouth was suddenly very dry, words seeming to evade her as she attempted to wrap her mind around it all, trying to determine the best starting place, how to best tell Emmeline what had happened.

"We were in Diagon Alley," she began. "And I overheard Mary and Reg. . .I wasn't meant to, but I did. Mary seemed frightened. . .she seemed to think that Sirius Black would be coming after me. Only, I had no idea who it was, and I'm starting to think she preferred it that way. Reginald kept trying to promise nothing would happen, but she barely let me out of her sight until I was safely on the platform to school. But then, I found the Prophet, and when I saw Black's picture on the front page it almost felt. . .familiar. Which is absolutely barking, isn't it? I asked Reg for an explanation but I got none. Or, well. . .none that made any sense of all of this. Black betrayed Harry Potter's parents, didn't he? That's what I keep hearing, that he's responsible for Harry being orphaned and made to be raised by those horrible Muggles. Still, it doesn't explain why Mary seemed so worried that I may be in danger." She was forced to pause, needing to catch her breath after such a whirlwind of words, staring carefully at the fire to remind herself that Emmeline was truly there. "And then Black broke into the castle, he tried getting into Gryffindor tower. We have a new professor this year, Professor Remus Lupin, and he told me that he knew my parents. I thought maybe, after the break in, that he might be willing to talk to me. . .but it seems like he wishes nothing to do with me anymore."

Silence fell in the common room once again, the only sound being that of the fire, flickering in and out. For a moment Cassi feared that she was truly alone, that Emmeline couldn't stick around.

"Cassiopeia, I want you to listen to me very carefully, and I want you to truly hear it." Emmeline said, finally, face distorting in the breathing flames. "Your mother did know Sirius Black, that is true. We all knew him once. And he was a very good man, one that would have never harmed you or that Potter boy. But war, it's a very finicky thing, and sometimes you are forced to do things, and to change into people you at one point would have never anticipated. If Mary and Reginald have not wished to explain to you who Sirius Black is, then as your guardians that is their decision to make and I cannot do anything to go against their wishes. And before you ask, my little star, as I know you will - yes, I as many others have my suspicions as to why he has escaped from prison, and no I do not know how he managed to do such a thing."

"Well. . ." Cassi frowned, confusion spreading like a disease, flooding her the very same as winter winds spread through London. "Why? Why has he escaped? What is it he wants?"

Emmeline seemed to be standing on a precipice, torn between honesty and shutting Cassiopeia down as everyone else continued to. "I believe that he. . .wishes to seek revenge." She admitted, slowly, "I do not believe that his newfound freedom has anything to do with you, my little love, nor do I agree with the notions going about that Harry Potter has anything to do with this. Now, I know you must be frightened, but you musn't be. You take too much after your mother, and your father, to do anything other than remain brave."

Something in the words, in the realization that Emmeline Vance knew the man Cassiopeia had always wondered about, that drew all attention away from any paralyzing fear she may have held a moment before. "M-My father? Who? Who is he?"

The woman's face flickered in the fire. "Little love, I'm terribly sorry, I have to go now. You have all my love, Star, please write to me again soon."

And then, before Cassiopeia could do anything to stop it, Emmeline faded from the fire. Leaving her alone, feeling a sense of hollowness she could never have expected, and an uncomfortable sense of unease, reminding her that sleep would be eluding her.

* * *

Sandstone against the murky waters of the Black Lake created a ripple effect, circles growing outwards into the water as the stone made its way further into the water. Tossing stones wasn't a _common_ theme among the students at Hogwarts. Many students found other ways of spending their time, things far more magical and complex than the simple notion of tossing rock into the lake and watching the impact.

But for Cassiopeia, it was far more a thing of needing to physically _release_ than the fascination of nature. Quidditch - and really, just _flying_ for that matter - was out of the question. She had never been good on a broom, and aside from that point, there was the inconvenient, paralyzing fear of heights that had kept her from ever wishing to willingly let her feet off the ground. It was an unfortunate thing, that Hogwarts had no other sports to provide such an outlet. A defect of the wizarding world being so far _behind_ the modern times, certainly, but a pain even so.

She was exhausted, physically and mentally. While her mind was in a fog, the conversation from the previous night, in the fire, it was the heaviness in her limbs that was worst. Her arms felt as if they were weighted down by an unforeseeable force from which she could not seek release, legs encompassing a tingling sensation that while not unfamiliar, remained alarmingly painful. Cassiopeia could not for the life of her remember a time when she had been so tired in her life. Then again, things had never been quite so stressful and inconvenient in her life.

The words of Emmeline Vance had been circling, echoing through her mind ever since the fire had faded, becoming nothing more than simply _fire_. Desperately as she craved answers, to know who Sirius Black was and to understand just what the _bloody hell_ was happening, there was something in the night prior's conversation which left a deep crater inside that could for whatever reason, not be filled. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Emmeline knew who her father was. The man responsible for impregnating her mother, but never staying to raise Cassiopeia, allowing her to instead be given to her godparents, to set their lives onto a tilt before they had truly even started. . .

Cassiopeia's identity was a mystery in which she had long since had to accept might never be solved. There was a very large part of her which believed that despite the belief that Mary and Reginald Cattermole _knew_ the who the man was, it was information which had never been disclosed. Despite all silent instances growing up that she had craved to despite where she came from, Reg was the only true father she had ever known. To ask him for such information almost seemed cruel, a thing she could never dare to do. But that didn't mean she wasn't _curious_. And to know Emmeline was aware, that she had been deprived the information, the name, once again, was a thing that caused more pain than Cass could have ever expected.

"Oi, McKinnon!" A voice rang, breaking her attention, stone slipping from her fingers to the shore. She barely glanced over her shoulder, knowing that Oliver Wood would approach if he so chose to. "McKinnon, I know you can hear me." He sighed, voice and footfalls becoming louder as he approached.

Cassi didn't reply.

"Okay, then don't talk." Oliver muttered, crossing his arms. "Lupin's looking for you."

At the words, her head snapped up, curls barely missing Oliver's face as she looked over at him. She could see the questioning in his eyes, the disbelief that Wood did not even attempt to hide. "So _that_ gets your attention."

"Lupin wants to see me?"

Oliver nodded, but he didn't get very far into his explanation - stating that the professor was in his office - before Cassiopeia turned on her heel and began hurrying back towards the castle as quickly as her heavy limbs would take her, leaving the Gryffindor Captain alone at the lake.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm not even going to try reasoning my way around why it's taken me so long to finally post this update. It's been a wild few months, but I'm sorry for being the worst about posting. And thank you so much for the patience and feedback this continues to get! A lot of this may seem like filler but it's definitely going to contribute overall, I promise. Anyways, as always enjoy and feedback is always appreciated! x.**

* * *

Her breath was ragged, breaking in awkward places by the time she finally reached the office of Professor Lupin. Only on the third floor, free of obstacles to block the way, save for moving staircases and gaggles of younger students, it felt painfully pathetic how tired she felt. As if anyone should be out of shape, spending ten months of the year in a _castle_. Steps slowed as Cassiopeia neared the door, hesitating in the doorway, shoving spare black curls out of her face.

Immediately, light eyes rested on the familiar glass case in the corner. Smoke filled the small space, illuminated only by the lantern held by the small lantern. There was something almost hauntingly peaceful, watching the hinkypunk. Certainly it must be a lonely existence, she imagined, to live only in solitude with nothing must self-produced mist and light to help guide the way. In the same breath, she couldn't help wonder if perhaps that was _why_ it seemed so peaceful; it must be so nice, to have nothing to worry about but staying alive.

 _Merlin, how much she missed being carefree._

An almost silent sigh pulled her attention back into the room. Her eyes moved away from the case towards the desk, cluttered with papers in a disorganized way Cassiopeia was all too familiar with, if not confused in the fact her professor seemed to have become the same. Among the stacks of parchment remained only one inkwell, only one quill, but that wasn't the most interesting bit, not by any stretch.

Because as she stood there, Cassi was suddenly reminded that Professor Remus Lupin had been ill. How she had managed to forget was a true marvel, perhaps only true because the relief of _finally_ getting the chance to see him had outweighed anything else. Not to mention, Snape's overtaking of every Defense class had been enough for Cassiopeia McKinnon and just about every other Gryffindor - and every other _student_ , aside from the arrogant toerags that made up Slytherin house - horribly miserable. The days with Snape in charge had been enough to make them all desperately miss Lockhart.

For all the rumors and ridiculous theories that had been circling throughout the school about what had happened to Lupin, he truly didn't look much worse than normal. Grayer and with a look of exhaustion overtaking him, more than the McKinnon had remembered seeing in the months since school had begun. But even with that, more or less, he looked fine. Good enough she couldn't help the desperation she felt, hoping he would return to classes soon.

"Please, sit." Professor Lupin spoke, gesturing towards the chair across, the same chair she had sat in only once before. With no hesitation, Cassi sat, an almost pathetic sort of eagerness taking hold of her. "I feel I must apologize for my absence, I'm sure you all have your questions, but I trust Professor Snape has helped class while I've taken leave."

"He hasn't." Cassiopeia said quickly, forcefully biting down on her tongue and clenching her jaw shut as she saw something flicker in the man's eyes. Whatever it was she couldn't be sure, disappointment, whether in her or otherwise, but she certainly didn't _like_ it. "We've missed you in class, sir, all of us."

The graying professor was quiet for a moment, appearing deep in thought. "I hope Harry has recovered by now." He finally said, catching Cassiopeia off guard yet again. For someone who could so easily figure out others, the man who had easily become her favorite teacher was an enigma at best. Any chance she felt maybe, _finally_ , she had begun to understand him, Professor Lupin surprised her. "And you as well, of course. Unpleasant as they are, Dementors seem far too keen taking an interest in those who least deserve it."

Not for the first time, especially during these discussions however far and few they were, Cassiopeia felt her jaw go slack. Harry's passing out on the pitch and surviving was a miracle, no matter how horrifying it had been, for her. "Yes, sir." She nodded, voice suddenly quiet, throat dry. "His Nimbus was destroyed by the Whomping Willow when it flew away from him, and Wood isn't wildly happy about it, but it was the broom's life or Harry's and he came away fine." Physically, at least; whatever screaming those damned prison guards inflicted on Harry seemed to be hurting him more as time went on, just as the wailing she heard. But she doubted her teacher cared much about that, or even knew for that matter.

"Ah, yes, it is a shame about the broomstick." Lupin nodded, voice just as quiet as it always seemed to be, outside of class. "Cassiopeia, have you learned to produce a Patronus charm?"

 _Again with the surprises_.

"Professor Flitwick has mentioned them before. In theory, I understand the process, but we've never _done_ them. Too advanced for students, or something, I think that's how he's explained it."

Lupin fell silent again, nodding to himself, an uncomfortable quiet passing between them. Or maybe, it was only her who felt any sense of unease, with no way of knowing what was going through the man's head.

"I'd like to help you learn, if you'll let me. Away from class, of course, nothing that will too drastically take away any time from your studies. But given the circumstances, I would be more comfortable knowing you can hold up against another impromptu visit from our cloaked friends of Azkaban."

Once again, Cass could feel her jaw slacken at the offer, but she found herself nodding despite any shock she felt.

"I'll be speaking to Harry about the same lessons, of course. But I'm sure our headmaster will agree it in the both of your best interests this way, and we can arrange lessons then. For now, I'm afraid I am still too weak, and must rest to be of more use to you. We'll talk again soon."

Cassiopeia had come to understand all too well when the man was dismissing her. With a silent nod, dark curls sneaking into her face again as she stood up, she barely made it to the door before Lupin spoke again. Almost too quiet to really know if she'd made it up, but loud enough to still hear, the words rang out as she once again left the office.

"Give my best to Emmeline."

* * *

By the time Cassiopeia had made her way back to the Great Hall, lunch hours had nearly ended. Aside from various students scattered among the wide House tables, large golden platters no longer holding large piles of food, it was more or less empty. Still, there was a sense of relief in seeing two familiar heads of vibrant orange hair, sitting along the Gryffindor table. Without hesitation, Cass made her way over, sitting across from them. Appetite all but gone, but knowing to eat at least something, she grabbed a roll and began to pick at it.

"What, no hello?" She asked, popping a piece of bread into her mouth. "Tha's rude… okay, what are you doing?"

It had taken her a moment longer than it really should have, to notice the way Fred and George were huddled together over something, speaking in the hushed tones she knew all too well were only used when plotting something. "Hey!" A hand smacked against the table, enough to make the goblets shake, but not much else, "what're you doing?"

Finally, the twins looked up, sharing a glance before turning their attention towards the darkest of their trio.

"It's a project we've been working on," George started. "Ever since we got to Egypt, really - "

" - We met a shaman who taught us all about it- "

"- Taking loads of work, but really think it'll pay off-"

"- And no, you can't know what it is yet. It's a surprise."

Cass opened her mouth in protest, only to snap it shut almost immediately. If they wouldn't tell her in Diagon Alley, or in any of the weeks since, she knew better than to expect it now. "Expecting me to practice patience is just cruel." She grumbled, finishing off the small roll in another bite.

"It isn't our fault you use all your patience understanding Diggory." Fred grinned cheekily, narrowly avoiding the fresh roll Cassiopeia had lifted to throw at his head. "I'm only joking. Trust me, this'll be worth the wait."

With a dramatic sigh, the McKinnon threw her head back, shaking her head despite the laughter in her eyes.

"Oh, by the way you might want to make sure Fawley's not trying to burn something down," George spoke, repositioning against the bench, careful to still keep their work hidden.

"Gemma? Why?" The confusion was evident in her voice, eyes flitting between the twins quickly. "What happened?"

"The afternoon mail came 'bout an hour ago, same as always and even from over here we could see her. Dunno what happened, but she stormed out pretty quick after that."

Cassi spared one more glance between them, muttering choice words under her breath before pushing herself up. And then, not for the first time that day, she found herself running.

* * *

Winter made a quick descent onto the grounds in the weeks that followed, leaving a fresh coat of pearly snow across everything it could touch. Frigid temperatures had begun to cling to the air enough that the castle had become almost uncomfortably full, students refusing to leave the grounds unless necessary. It was plausible that the Dementors and their unfortunately encroaching presence only proved to worsen the conditions outside, though nobody wanted to say as much. It seemed that everyone inside Hogwarts was happier doing everything they could to pretend the Dementors were nonexistent.

The first trip of the year to Hogsmeade village had easily become the talk of the school, at least for those old enough and capable of going. For Cassiopeia and her friends, this meant carrying on the tradition that had begun three years prior. The trips often consisted of an exact rhythm of events. Beginning in Zonko's joke shop, trying out all new products, very often sneaking loud noise makers into Eric's ears for no reason but to watch his reactions. From there, the four moved to Honeydukes, ending up in the Three Broomsticks, where Hagrid was almost always present, talking loudly to Madame Rosmerta over a large pint.

Cassiopeia could only think of one thing that could possibly make the trip more enticing than it was bound to be, and that was the presence of Harry. If not for his staring her down and insisting that he would be fine, that she should go, she knew that she'd have stayed behind. It seemed wildly unfair, for all of his friends to go and enjoy themselves while he was left behind - especially if only because the school wouldn't let him go. As if it was somehow his fault that the Dursleys refused to sign the bloody permission form in the first place.

"I cannot _wait_ to get back to Paris." Gemma said, hands waving in an animated fashion over the fresh butterbeer in front of her. The group had only just arrived in the pub and found seating wedged between a coat rack near the door and a fireplace.

Despite all recent struggles, including the news that had Gemma isolating herself two weeks prior and was now keeping a secret, it was nearly impossible not to be excited for the winter holidays. Magical as the castle was, it wasn't the same as going home. No matter how tense things became, Cassiopeia had to hope that Christmas and the New Year would still hold some semblance of normalcy. That maybe, just maybe, being home would be a chance to forget about Sirius Black. Even if only for a moment.

Gemma's accent only seemed to thicken with every additional word spoken about France. Which wasn't surprising, really; no matter how much time she spent in London, it never truly changed, and hadn't since they had started school. It was part of what made her so endearing, even on the days in which she was particularly obnoxious.

A familiar chime above the door to the pub rang out, and silence fell. Gemma continued to prattle on a moment longer, falling quiet a moment late. Confusion colored her face as she looked over her shoulder, following the direction of Eric and Cedric's eyes just in time to see a figure disappear up the stairs, leading towards the apartment overhead.

"I'll be damned." Eric muttered, "is that-"

"The Minister of Magic?" Cedric finished, sighing to himself. "Yeah, it is. I wonder what he's doing."

His eyes met Cassiopeia's for the briefest of seconds before she became very interested in the butterbeer in front of her, finishing the whole thing off within a handful of seconds. It would easily cause a stomachache soon enough, but she needed something to do. Something other than admit that she had a feeling Fudge was at Hogsmeade for a reason.

"I think I'm going to find the twins." She said, wiping off the foam that had produced a mustache on her face. It was abrupt, and sooner than Cassi would ever normally leave. But George and Fred would understand the need of a distraction, would probably even happily provide her with one if need be.

And the absolute last thing she wanted to do theorize about what was going on so close to going home.

"I'll come with you." Cedric was quick to offer.

Cass opened her mouth, ready to decline, wrap the crimson and gold scarf back around her neck and leave. But her eyes caught Gemma's, and even in silence the blonde's reaction was enough to talk her out of it. Because Gemma knew, knew she needed to not be alone. And truth be told, Cassiopeia wouldn't put it past her friend to insist on tagging along otherwise.

"Yeah," she sighed, relenting. "We'll see you guys later." And then, ignoring the look of desperate bitterness that Eric shot in their direction, McKinnon and Diggory both rose and wrapped themselves into their coats once again before headed to the door.

The pair had barely made it through the doorway, back into the frigid cold, before Cassi paused in her steps. While inside, a notice had been nailed into the door of the Three Broomsticks, one that left a bitter taste in her mouth and nausea churning in knots within her stomach.

 **BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC**

 _Customers are reminded that until further notice, Dementors will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade every night after sundown. This measure has been put in place for the safety of Hogsmeade residents and will be lifted upon the recapture of Sirius Black. It is therefore advisable you complete shopping before nightfall. Merry Christmas!_

A steady hand on her back pulled Cassi from the paranoid, dread-filled thoughts that had begun to fill her mind. The look he fixed her with was accompanied by the unspoken question of if she was okay, to which she nodded. Maybe is was, and maybe it wasn't, it was getting to be almost impossible to tell the difference. And then, together, they stepped into the snow and away from the warmth.


	14. Chapter 14

The ride back to London was uneventful. That always seemed to be the way of things, regardless of whatever reason there was for the beautiful, scarlet steam engine to make the long journey. While trips to the old, magical castle were often filled with wonder and anticipation for the upcoming year, chattering students filling every compartment of the train, there were very limited similarities to be found on return trips. Very few students found it exciting to return home after being surrounded by pure magic, no matter how much love and joy was awaiting them on the other side of the platform.

Cassiopeia found herself, for once, truly not looking forward to the weeks she would be spending at home in the Yorkshire countryside. With as much love as she held for Mary and Reginald, and as excited as she would be any other year for the inevitable visits from Emmeline and Lucinda alike, this was surely to be a holiday unlike any previous. This year, there was a mass murderer on the loose, the man with hauntingly familiar eyes and vague explanations coming from every adult within reach. This year, there were Dementors circling her beloved school, horrible creatures she was relieved to be away from, while also nauseous, because Harry was yet around them. Which reminded her of yet another reason she resented having gone home: _Harry_.

Something had happened, after the year's first trip into Hogsmeade - a trip Cassiopeia had believed her fellow orphaned lion hadn't taken play in. Until, of course, the twins told her otherwise in their cocky, amused way, finding a large amount of entertainment in the shock that had etched upon her face at hearing the words _Harry's got the map_. Those four words, however simple, carried weight she had learned to carry even if not completely understand. If Harry had the map, it was no surprise he had managed a sneaky excursion into the school's adjoining village. But to have been there, to have not _found_ her, was unsettling. Particularly with the way things had gone _after_ returning to the castle.

For whatever reason, Harry had been angry when she had returned to the warm, glowing tower that night. She had found him sitting alone beside a dying fire, elbows on his knees, still as a statue, emerald hues staring blankly into the remaining embers. The first concern had been the fact neither Ron nor Hermione were present, though a feeling in the pit of her stomach told her Harry wanted it that way. He barely looked up when she sat beside him, shedding the golden and maroon scarf that spent the majority of the day tied around her neck. They remained in silence for what felt to be a very long time, minutes or hours she couldn't tell. When he finally did speak, it was words that etched themselves into Cassiopeia's brain.

"I hope Black finds us," he had muttered, sounding almost disturbingly unlike himself. "So that when he does, I can kill him. I _will_ kill him."

The most horrifying part was not the concern she felt for him in that moment, nor were the questions she knew wouldn't be answered.

The worst was the complete dread that she felt, at the thought of anything happening to Sirius Black.

* * *

Her eyes snapped open the moment all movement stopped. In a panic, Cassiopeia felt her eyes flit in multiple directions until finally, reality returned, pulling her from the dream world. Whatever had been going through her mind was a distant memory now, though she distinctly remembered the imprint of her mother, no matter how distant.

Marlene had been in her subconscious so often lately.

It wasn't until the familiar, lulling sound of her owl that she truly became aware of her surroundings. No longer were they driving, but instead, the car had been parked. Through the window she could see the family home, and her window just as she'd left it - canary yellow curtains drawn, so that the drive was invisible from the inside. A distant part of her felt almost alien; this was the home she'd grown up in, Reginald and Mary the people who raised her, and yet somehow three months felt a lifetime and yet, so little had changed.

As her family began clambering out of the car, the trunk popping so that Reginald could gather her luggage, Cassiopeia thought almost implicitly of Harry.

Suddenly she wished she hadn't left.

* * *

The woman pulled her emerald scarf tighter around her head, yet blonde tendrils still managed to tumble out of the fabric. It would have been so much easier to simply enter the castle, instead of these bloody ridiculous roundabouts that were for some reason insisted upon. Surely Dumbledore would allow her into the castle during holiday break, but _no_ \- Merlin forbid alum visit, lest questions arose, no matter if the only student aware of her identity was nowhere within castle's reach.

Her feet padded against the cobbled streets of Hogsmeade village as she approached the Three Broomsticks, silently hoping her companion had already arrived. Ivy Rosmerta was plenty good company in her own way, but time wasn't a thing she would ever take lightly anymore.

They had once thought time was on their sides. Seven hells, were they wrong.

Stepping into the warm pub, she pulled the fabric from her face, copper colored strands of hair cascading down until it reached her shoulders. Green eyes swept the dark tavern until finally, they rested upon a man in the corner, hidden inside a booth that was far enough away not to be viewed by the naked eye. Even from a distance, she knew immediately it was the right person - she didn't know many others their age who were so _old_ and grey.

No, time had certainly not been kind to them all.

With precise steps, she weaved between discarded chairs and the scattered members of wizarding society that had made their way in until she was standing in front of them.

"Hello, Emmeline." His voice was quiet, tired, his eyes barely flickering upwards from the steaming mug in front of him.

"Remus." She quipped, seating herself across from him with little invitation.

"I'm sure you can-"

"She's been asking me questions, yes."

"And we can't-"

"If she asks again, I won't lie to her." Emmeline said, a note of finality in her tone that drew Remus Lupin's eyes to meet hers. She folded her hands on the table, an easy shrug lifting her shoulders. "Mary and Reginald are afraid of the ramifications, I know. But she knows there is a connection, and I hate keeping these secrets."

"Marlene-"

"Don't you _dare_ speak to me about what Marlene would want." Her voice lowered then, almost dangerously, a flicker of something - maybe pain - igniting in her eyes. "This was never her plan."

"Emmeline, as much as I would truly love nothing more than to disclose every facet of information to them both, it is simply not the time. Not when neither of them are in our charge, and a killer is-"

"So that's it, then." Emmeline's eyes had calmed some, an almost sad aurora taking over her features as she examined the weathered man, one she once considered a friend. "You still believe him to be guilty."

"Emmeline," he sighed heavily, looking up at her. "We've been over-"

"Does it not strike you as the slightest bit odd that his was the one trial never taken upon the Wizengamot? That Fudge was willing to simply let him take the fall for it all, rather than try and track down what happened to Pet-"

"Peter was murdered by Black, after he figured out that Sirius was the traitor within the Order." Remus said quietly, his voice level, but there was a degree of pain in his eyes that he couldn't hide.

A lump forged its way into Emmeline's throat as she regarded him then, both with curiosity and a sense of devastation. It sounded rehearsed, but then - when had anything regarding the entire thing not?

"Very well." She said quietly, the invisible rift continuing to grow between them. It had been growing for years, twelve to be exact, and it was blatantly obvious that the looming changes soon to come. "I should be on my way, Kingsley-"

"Emmeline." He said again, but there was something different in his voice. Another shift. _Bloody Lupin_. "I'm sorry."

"Yes," she murmured, pulling her scarf from her lap, moving to resituate it around her hair. "You and I both."

* * *

Christmas morning came with snow.

It was one of those things, the sort that childlike wonder encompassed and truly made you smile, no matter how old you became. Cassiopeia had fond memories of the cold, white powder, the sort that surpassed Hogwarts. In her youngest days she could remember toppling outside, being scooped up onto Reginald's shoulders and building a snowman in the front yard. It never took long upon completion for a snowball fight to commence, a giggling McKinnon screeching about the unfairness of her dad's advantage, Mary standing in the doorway watching the pair with amused eyes.

It was tradition. It was home.

But there was something about this morning that felt almost. . .too foreign. She had woken up earlier than normal, and by that, early enough to sit in her windowsil and watch the winter sunrise, streaking rainbow colours along the horizon. It was early enough that when finally, her godparents began stirring, she was awake to hear the first sound of the enchanted bells clinking merry tunes. That was a welcomed sound, the sort that sent a warm rush through her body, even when pressed against the chilly glass.

It helped that Gemma would be visiting; Cedric as well, if she was lucky, but Cassiopeia had learned to always expect the unexpected when it came to Amos Diggory and his ability to keep plans. _The beauty of a magizoologist, always on your toes_ \- at least, that was how Cedric would refer to it, and they would laugh, knowing his father's eccentricities were part of the charm no matter Cedric's opinions at time.

Desperately as she wanted to see Harry, or even her twins, she knew that would have to wait. Mandra had been dispersed with parcels for them all the night prior, knowing and trusting the owl well enough to know she would make the journey and be home by mid-morning Christmas day. She didn't expect a present to help ease Harry's state of being, much, but Merlin did she hope.

There was only so much she could do for him, being so far away.

Emmeline wouldn't be arriving for another two days yet. Her work kept her busy, that much Cassiopeia had always known, but the woman's presence was always a highlight of the holidays. Selfishly, she knew her reasons for wishing to see her went much deeper than that this year; it would be far easier to read telling signs in person than to try making sense of them through a fireplace. With Emmeline would come Lucinda, which would inevitably bring peace of mind to Reginald if only for a fleeting moment.

Even still, Merlin, did she want to be back at Hogwarts.

* * *

"Cassi darling, this one next." Mary's voice rang out, a small envelope in her outstretched hand.

Around their feet were the remnants of wrapping paper from a morning of presents, golden and emerald reflecting off the ground, back up to the ceiling. There was a pile of unwrapped presents resting beside her, ranging from fresh clothes to a new book on astronomy, and a new, thick blanket emblazoned with Gryffindor colors was wrapped around her shoulders.

Reaching out, Cass took hold of the flimsy paper, not blind to the shared look between her family as she reached to pull out the contents.

Whatever she expected, this wasn't it. Within the envelope was a small black and white image, somehow clear and also fuzzy at the same time. Even without the ability to make out precisely _where_ it was, Cassiopeia knew what she was looking at. With wide eyes, she looked up, meeting the expectant gaze of Reginald, seeing the look of anxious concern etched into Mary's features.

"There's a baby?" Her voice was quiet, quiet enough that for a moment Cassi wasn't convinced she had truly spoken.

There was a whirlwind of emotions that rushed through her mind next. Confusion and excitement seemed to be among the most prominent; confusion at the looks on her parents faces, excitement they would finally have their own baby.

Concern for what that might mean for her.

"By the time you leave for school next September, you'll be an older sister." Reginald spoke, a smile she had never seen sneaking its way onto his face.

"We wanted to tell you once we were all together. And Christmas seemed like a good-"

Whatever it was Mary was preparing to say was cut short by the whirlwind of onyx curls that came flying in their direction, long arms tightening around Reginald and his witch both. "Congratulations!" She exclaimed, doing her best not to scream into their ears.

"You're happy, then?" Mary asked quietly, after allowing herself a moment to laugh. There she went again. Always worrying.

"Of course I am." Cassi promise, momentarily forgetting all the confusion and pain she had been struggling since the first of September.

And she really was. No matter what it would mean for her.

* * *

The remainder of the Christmas holiday seemed to pass without difficulty, leaving a scattering of new belongings strewn about her bedroom. Among the piles of things she now had to put away were the gifts of Reginald and Mary, and alongside them, presents from the visitors they had. A French snowglobe from Gemma that was enchanted to allow communication between owners- all it took to simply shake the globe, and the charm would pull the witch inside, to stand atop the Eiffel Tower to meet the companion owner of the accompanying owner. A locket from Cedric, inside of which were two photos: one of their first year, two eleven year olds with wide eyes learning their way, and one from earlier in the current year, in which Cedric continually kissed her cheek, causing her to laugh. And then, from Emmeline, was a photo book containing images of her mother; photos from her school days, linked arms with Mary and Emmeline, and another. . . one with eyes green as Harry's. And while such photos were a beautiful sentiment, there was another that drew her attention; an image tucked into the back of the album, of Marlene with a man; younger and healthier looking certainly, but Cassiopeia knew who it was.

 _Sirius Black._

She had wanted to ask the woman what it meant, even as something convinced her otherwise. Maybe it was due to the fact her godparents had been in the room when her eyes landed on the picture; or maybe it was the look in Emmeline's eye when she finally looked up. Whatever it was, no matter the connotation, she knew one thing: her mother really had known the man who betrayed the Potters.

Her only hope now was to take the photo to Professor Lupin when she returned to the castle, hope he would finally give her a true answer instead of speaking in riddles. As much respect as she held for the man, he was painfully vague, but this proved it: there truly was a connection between her and Black. What it was, she'd no idea. . . yet.

* * *

With one final snap, Cassiopeia shut the clasps on her luggage, having had to use one too many shrinking charms to fit all of her belongings inside the relatively spacious trunk. It was rare, to take anything from the winter back to school, but this year felt different, somehow. Certainly there were a number of reasons why, but she had opted not to question them.

She was just grateful the bloody thing had finally shut.

Letting out a sigh and flicking her wand between her fingers before settling it in her back pocket, Cassi took one final sweep to make sure she hadn't missed anything. The train to Hogwarts was still a day away, but she wanted to be prepared, if only to spare herself a lecture from Mary.

It was only when Mandra began to make what could only be defined as a noise of frustration that she turned her eyes back to the window, forcing herself to blink in surprise at the sight; Hedwig was at the window. And while that alone wasn't entirely unheard of, it certainly wasn't expected. In three strides she crossed the room, allowing the snowy owl inside before untying the parchment wrapped around her leg.

 _Cass,_

 _They're executing Buckbeak. We just got the news. I know you're a few days out of coming back, but I had to tell you. We need your help._

 _Harry._

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry for the ridiculously long wait for an update, I swear it's not going to stay like that. And I know a lot of this chapter seems filler, and awful short, but it had to be done to push the plot along. As always, thank you to my wonderful readers, it still truly blows my mind how much attention this is getting. And of course please feel free to leave reviews, and enjoy! x.**


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